


Minna's Mistake

by YuriSenpai



Category: Strike Witches
Genre: Comedy, F/F, L-preg, Romance, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-09
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-04-19 22:37:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 72,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4763612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuriSenpai/pseuds/YuriSenpai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After mating while in heat, Mio leaves Minna pregnant and confused, so Gertrud and Erica make it their duty to care for and protect Minna. But when it comes to tell Mio, things take a turn for the worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everybody!  
> I originally wrote this works for another website, but I thought I would post it here.  
> I hope you enjoy it!

"Damn, damn, DAMN!" Minna stared at the small piece of plastic in her hands with a look on her face that consisted of shock, horror and fright. This certain piece of plastic had the results that would determine the rest of the commanders life. A pregnancy test. The results: Positive. Minna slumped against the wall on defeat, her chin resting on her knees and her arms covering her face as she stared at the floor.   
"What have I done?!" She wept. Her mind recalled her time with a certain Fuso witch around two weeks ago. Mio had been in heat, and with the neuroi on the horizon, Mio would have been needed in the upcoming battle, so Minna naturally helped her girlfriend out. They hadn't used any form of protection, as Mio was losing magic power as a witch and so her fluids would surely be infertile. Obviously not. Just the thought of being pregnant and helpless sickened Minna. As she leaned forward and re-emptied the content of her stomach, she crushed the pregnancy test she had clasped so tightly. After heaving in an unladylike way over the toilet, Minna stood up and rinsed her mouth out, and examined the crushed mess in her hands. Without a second thought, she tossed it into the nearby bin, then left her private bathroom. As the commander, she was granted the privileges of having a personal toilet and sink. It was nothing fancy, but with her upcoming problem it would be very helpful.  
With a sigh Minna sat down on her large bed. Four weeks ago this very bed was the one she had gotten pregnant in. Minna had no idea what she was going to do, or how she was going to tell people. She wouldn't even be allowed to keep doing her job, as babies were delicate and a single ray from a neuroi could kill one.   
Her days of commanding were pretty much over. Even after the baby was born, she would still have to look after it, and she couldn't work because of that.  
And what would Mio think? Would she still love her? Would she love the baby?   
Minna rocked back and to on the bed, so many questions were running through her mind she thought her brain would explode. Her breathing became fast and Minna fell into a state of panic.  
She curled herself up further and a tear escaped her eye.   
"Mio..." She whispered hoarsely. Minna heard the door click as it opened and raised her head. Stood in the doorway, were Gertrud and Erica. The smiles on the faces of both girls disappeared when they noticed Minna curled up on the bed, her face tear stained and her hair a mess. She wasn't even fully dressed, Minna had her shirt on, half buttoned up exposing her cleavage, but that was it. She hadn't even put on panties.   
"Shirley told us to come and look after you a bit, since you told her you were ill, and Miyafuji sent some breakfast." Gertrud was holding a tray in her hands, on it was a Brittanian breakfast, consisting of sausages, bacon, eggs, fried bread and a mixture of other things. Minna took one look at the tray and felt her stomach lurch. She bolted for her bathroom, clutching both her stomach and mouth. Trude blushed slightly as her commanders ass was on view for all to see, then her and Erica followed Minna to the bathroom to help her out.   
"You really are having it a bit rough, aren't you?" Erica said, holding back Minna's long red hair.   
"You can't just say that about your commander, Hartmann! Show some respect!" Trude yelled. The blonde didn't flinch at all, and continued to soothe Minna. Trude was lingering awkwardly in the doorway, unsure of what to do. She didn't know how to react around sick people, and had no idea of what would help and what wouldn't. After a few minutes, Minna resurfaced from having her head in the toilet bowl with a redness in her cheeks, mainly from embarrassment.  
"I'm so sorry..." Minna mumbled, not looking her long term comrades and friends in the eyes. Erica put a finger under Minna's chin and lifted her head until Minna was eye level.  
"Minna, you don't need to apologise for being sick." Erica smiled.  
Carefully, the aces assisted the commander back to her bed. After a moments thought, Trude started to dig through one of Minna's drawers. Minna looked on in surprise as she realised that it was her underwear drawer. It came as a little bit of shock to her when she felt a breeze below, and it came to her attention that she has neglected to put on her panties. Minna blushed a delicate shade of red, before fumbling around with the duvet to cover herself.   
"Don't worry Minna," Erica stated with a sly smile, "we've seen it all before remember?" Those few words caused Minna to blush further. Trude returned to Minna's side with a pair of black panties, her face was like a tomato as she handed Minna the panties. With a silent nod of thanks, Minna quickly pulled them on; Erica and Trude looked away.  
"How about some breakfast?" Trude picked up the tray once again, " It'll get cold."   
Minna's stomach did a somersault as the dreaded food came into view. She looked away and held her hands up in defence.  
"I really don't want any. I'm not hungry." She lied. Well it wasn't an exact lie, she just wasn't hungry for that particular meal. Trude put the tray down again.  
"Minnnnaaaaaa~ You have to eat~" Erica said in a sing song voice.  
"You won't get any better." Trude muttered, her mouth watering slightly at the sight of the juicy sausages.   
"Please just take it away. I really can't stomach anything right now."   
Trude decided to change the subject, as Minna could get pretty sharp if needed be.  
"You should get some rest Minna." Trude commented. Minna looked awful. The dark rings under her eyes seemed to have a big effect on her look. But Minna shook her head.   
"I'm fine. I think I'll get up now." The commander swung her legs over the end of her bed and attempted to get up. She was stopped by Trude.  
"Minna, as your comrades-"   
"As your friends," Erica interrupted.   
"As your friends," Trude coughed awkwardly, " We are telling you to rest. You can't fly like this, heck, you can't command like this! We won't let you!" Both aces stood in front of their superior, blocking her way out the room.   
"Trude, Erica, I'm fine! Please." Minna pleaded, trying to look lively. Unfortunately luck wasn't on her side.  
"Maybe if you eat your breakfast, we will let you out of here for a bit. But no flying." Trude decided, her face distorted with emotion.   
"We will check at lunch. Bye bye Minna!" Erica hugged the red head and both her and Trude headed out. Just as they were approaching the door, there was a sharp knock on it.   
After a moments hesitation, Trude opened it.   
"Ah, Major Sakamoto." Trude dipped her head respectfully.  
"Can I see Minna? I only just finished training and I heard she wasn't well," Mio scratched the nape of her neck awkwardly. Trude looked at Erica, who in turn looked at Minna. The commander shook her head vigorously and made hand guestures signalling that she didn't want to see Mio. Erica relayed this to Trude.  
"Minna's sleeping."  
"Can I still see her?"  
Again Minna shook her head with so much force Erica thought her neck might snap.  
"I don't think she wants visitors." Trude used her firm voice this time, as Minna had made it clear she absolutely didn't want to see Sakamoto. Mio seemed to realise that she was the superior officer, and had more control over the situation.  
"Move Barkhorn. That's an order." Mio straightened up and looked the brown haired solider in the eye. Gertrud stood solid in the doorway. She wouldn't let anyone pass.  
"Minna gave me the order that nobody was to visit, and anyone that does has themselves a month of toilet duty and they are grounded on base for two weeks." Trude lied. Trude wasn't a naturally good liar, and struggled to tell the simplest of lies, but somehow she managed to convince the Major. Mio hated being stuck on the ground, she could train as hard as she wanted, but nothing was the same as the joys of flight. The freedom in the air made Mio feel alive. As much as she loved Minna, she didn't feel like risking her freedom.  
"Fine then. Maybe you should lie down too Barkhorn, you look a little red." Sakamoto turned tail and left the Karlslandians.   
"Somebody is persistent." Erica commented, scratching her arm drowsily whilst yawning.  
"Thanks. You two can go now," Minna's quiet voice interrupted Erica's train of thoughts. The commander felt terrible about sending her girlfriend away, when she only wanted to help, but Minna really couldn't face her.   
"Okay, we will come and check on you a lunch time though Minna. Please try and eat something," with that, Trude grabbed Erica and dragged her out of the room. Minna let out a sigh of relief and all of a sudden felt hungry for the breakfast she had once denied. Hesitantly, the red head reached for the tray an pulled it onto her lap. Delicately, she bit into one of the sausages. It was glorious. The meaty taste filled her mouth and it made Minna realise how hungry she was. Within a few minutes, she hungrily devoured the entire tray, even the fried bread which was something she wouldn't usually touch.

****  
"Minnnnnnnaaaaa~ Miiiiiiinnnnnaaaaa~~~" Erica sang quietly in the ear of the sleeping commander. Minna was fully dressed, lay on her bed with her mouth slightly open, drool dribbling down her chin. A troubled look was on her face.  
Once she had finished her almost cold breakfast, Minna had prepared herself for the coming day, as she usually would. She had combed through her shoulder length red hair and styled it in her casual hairstyle. Minna had then finished putting her green jacket on, buttoning it all the way up to the top and straightening out the creases as she went along. Her boots were next, strong and sturdy, and they were pulled over her feet. Minna straightened her commanders badge and was ready to go. Unfortunately she still had a few hours before Erica and Trude would be checking on her, so she tried to do something productive. There were little things to do that were actually productive. With all her paperwork in her office, Minna couldn't do it. So, the red head spent her time polishing her buttons and shining her shoes. Even then she still had plenty of time left, and Minna made up her mind that she should just lie on the bed for a little while. But, that lead to a deep, much needed sleep.  
"Don't wake her Hartmann! She obviously tired! She sick remember?" Gertrud pulled her friend away from the sleeping girl. Erica let out a sigh of boredom and tapped her feet around while Gertrud examined the empty tray.  
"At least she ate something." Trude commented to herself, since Erica was busy being bored.  
"Trudeeeee I need to peeeeeeeee, can we go now???" Erica whined. Even looking after Minna was boring if she wasn't awake.  
"Just use Minna's bathroom, we should stay a little longer."   
"Urgh fine," Erica stomped off to Minna's bathroom, almost slamming the door but remembering at last minute that a sick witch was sleeping in the room.   
Trude put her hand to her brow and sighed.   
A moment later Erica poked her head round the doorframe.  
"Hey, Trude, look at this," the normally disobedient sixteen year old looked unusually serious. Gertrud stepped into the bathroom with her younger friend.  
"Don't tell me-"   
"No it's not that. THIS" Erica pointed to a small cardboard box in the small bin, beside it was a disfigured piece of plastic.  
"What is it?" Trude asked, already suspecting she knew the answer.   
"It's one of THOSE tests" Erica's eyes were like saucers, like when a cat had spotted something it wanted to chase or eat.  
"....You don't think...?"   
"She's got the symptoms. Vomiting in the morning, certain foods triggering stuff..." Erica trailed off, not really having any solid proof of their friends pregnancy. But after a moment a thought sprung to mind.  
"Trude! When was your last period?" Erica asked. Trude immediately burned red with anger and embarrassment.  
"Hartmann! That's personal! You can't expect me to-"  
"You and Minna have the same cycles, just-"  
"How would you even know that?!?"   
"I just know! Tell me!"   
At first the brunette mumbled and stuttered, but after a nudge from Hartmann she answered.   
"I-it finished two days ago..." Gertrud stuttered, her face red with embarrassment.   
"So that's why you were reluctant to sortie." That comment increased in burning in Trude's cheeks. With a chuckle, Erica opened Minna's personal cupboard. She dug through multiple medicines, creams and toothbrushes before she came to her target. The box of sanitary towels was clearly untouched, shoved right to the back of the cupboard.  
"She must have missed her period, these haven't been touched in a month" Detective Hartmann was solving things left right and centre.   
"Don't be a fool, Hartmann, you can't be right about our cycles been in sync." Trude snorted, though secretly afraid the blonde was right.  
"There's only one way to find out" Erica's eyes rested on the bin, Trude followed her gaze and let out a sigh.  
Trude bent down and picked the crushed pregnancy test up. Through the cracked screen, a plus sign could be seen.   
"...it says positive..." Trude gulped. "What is she going to do? She can't fly when pregnant, it's dangerous!"  
" I wonder who the father is~" Erica said dreamily, twirling her hair. " Maybe it's that guy who does her striker Maintenance-"  
"Erica stop."   
"Or maybe it's that ot-"  
"ERICA!" Trude growled. Before she could say another word a third person came into the bathroom.  
"Erica? Trude?" The two froze and turned their heads, stood in the doorway, Minna was rubbing her eyes. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped when she saw what Trude was holding.  
"..."  
"..."  
"..."  
"...so you found it?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Strike Witches

[PREVIOUSLY]

"Erica? Trude?" The two froze and turned their heads, stood in the doorway, Minna was rubbing her eyes. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped when she saw what Trude was holding.  
"..."  
"..."  
"..."  
"...so you found it?" 

[PRESENT]

"A-ah.... Minna..." Trude stuttered, dropping the pregnancy test. She took a deep breath.  
"Is it true?"   
Minna stiffened, unsure of whether to answer honestly or not. In the end, she chose honesty.  
"Yes." The commander averted her gaze from her two friends, who both just remained silent, not knowing what to say or do. After a moment of awkwardness, Erica piped up.  
"Who's the father?" She inquired, earning herself a scowl from Barkhorn and a blush from Minna.   
"The striker maintenance guy?" Minna shook her head.  
"Erica," Trude warned, her gaze burning into her comrades head.  
"That one who occasionally has meetings with you about the future of our wing?" Minna's head shook once more, not willing to answer fully.  
"Erica," Trude was becoming more firm.  
"Is it a witch? Is it you Trude? You were in heat a few weeks ago right? I remember clearly-"  
"ERICA IF YOU DONT SHUT YOUR MOUTH I WILL DO I FOR YOU!" Trude yelled, hitting the blonde on the head. Erica shut up immediately after a yelp of pain. Trude looked slightly worried, hoping that she wasn't the father. Minna DID give her a hand a few weeks ago... Trude blushed at the thought of the commander x subordinate relationship.  
"Thefatherismio" Minna stuttered, not wanting to actually say the name.  
"Who?" Erica pressed.  
"...Mio..." Minna whispered, like it was a deadly secret, which it kind of was.  
"Eh? The Major? Well that makes a lot of sense." Erica twirled her hair thoughtfully. Unknowingly to the other two, Gertrud let out a sigh of relief. She was glad this problem wasn't caused by her, and it would be difficult to explain to Sakamoto if Trude had gotten Minna pregnant. Minna leaned against the doorframe and a tear dribbled down her cheek. Erica and Gertrud were at her side in seconds.  
"I thought we would be fine! It was probably going to be her last heat cycle and I thought she would be infertile! We didn't use any protection! I'll be kicked off my job and off the base! I won't be able to fly anymore, or be with you two!" Minna wailed. Her best friends listened as she poured her heart out, growing more confused by the second.  
"Minna, please calm down and breathe," Gertrud soothed, rubbing the red head's back in a rhythmic way. Erica supported Minna on the other side and both grisl lead their commander back to her bed. Stress of her situation was starting to cling to Minna, making her emotionally unstable. She was sobbing relentlessly and was acting very out of character, while her two best friends were trying to persuade her to lie down and relax.  
"What if she doesn't love me?" Minna gripped the front of Trude's uniform tightly, her knuckles white. Barkhorn tried to pull away, only increasing the amount of pressure that was pulling her desperately. Minna stared up into the brunettes eyes, her own round and teary. In the end, Erica decided to take action. The blonde sat down on Minna's bed before motioning to Trude. Trude sat Minna down on the bed, and Erica leaned her back, so Minna's head was resting in the aces lap. Erica stroked Minna's hair and held her hand, successfully calming the emotionally unstable teenager. Slowly, Minna's sobs turned to sniffles, then to soft breaths as her eyes closed and sleep consumed her. Trude found a blanket and placed it over Minna's now motionless body, but then hesitated.  
"Should we undress her?" She asked. Erica shrugged.  
"We might as well, she's definitely not going anywhere this afternoon." Erica started to unbutton Minna's jacket, the buttons were still shiny and stood out like twinkling stars.  
"I think I'll go and tell the others how she is. I won't say she's p-p-p-..." Trude coughed awkwardly, " I'll just say she's sick."  
Erica nodded in response, focusing on unbuttoning the sleeping commanders shirt. Trude gave one last glance at her friend, then left to put some things in order.

[LINEBREAK]

"So nobody is allowed in?" Sakamoto questioned, her face twisted with disappointment, anger and sadness.  
"Only Hartmann and I." Barkhorn said clearly, making sure Sakamoto understood.  
"But what about doctors? If she's sick she needs attention? She sounds pretty bad by the sounds of things." Yoshika piped up, putting Barkhorn in a difficult position. Although Minna would soon need to visit some sort of Doctor, now wasn't the time. She hadn't even told her girlfriend about the child and currently she was in no state to make a decision like that.   
"I will call for a doctor when I feel she needs one" Gertrud concluded.  
"But-" both Fuso witches interrupted.  
"No buts"  
Yoshika and Sakamoto sighed in unison, each worried about the commander.  
"She is probably going to be fine by tomorrow, but I don't want anybody in her room until she is ready,"   
"Is she hungry?" Lynne enquired, attempting to change the subject a little. Gerund thought for a moment. The red head had eaten her breakfast, and it was past lunch time, although who knew how long Minna would be asleep for.  
"Make her some cold Karlsland food," Gertrud ordered, "like Franz buns or something like that."  
"Karlsland food?" Lynne questioned, not actually knowing how to make anything Karlslandian.   
"But...Barkhorn-San.... Wouldn't you be better off cooking it, since you are from Karlsland?" Yoshika joined the food conversation. Barkhorn let out a ragged sigh and frowned a little.  
"I need to look after Minna" she simply stated, hoping they would just shut up and leave her alone. Gertrud was seriously worried about Minna's health, both physically and mentally. She definitely needed to be checked out professionally, but she also needed supporting. It's no use being friends if you can't help each other through tough times. For a slight second the Karlsland ace considered telling Sakamoto the news.   
But she almost slapped herself for thinking it. Telling the dark haired witch was Minna's responsibility, whether she wanted to or not.  
"Everybody is dismissed." Barkhorn had had quite enough of 'discussing' with the group. Just as the others were dispatching, Sakamoto approached Gertrud.  
"Are you sure Minna is okay? You seem to be having a hard time convincing yourself that's she's fine." Mio commented, throwing the latter off.  
"It's not so much her physical state, it's more emotionally and mentally." Gertrud sighed, recalling Minna's tear stained face, her broken sobs and heart shattering wails.  
"She's never been mentally strong though..." Sakamoto commented, wanting to help her girlfriend.  
"Can I please see her? I'm sure I could help her with anything and make her feel better."  
"Sex won't make her feel better. It's still a no." Barkhorn said bluntly. Mio blushed and opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish, but somehow managed to continue.  
" I wasn't referring to that. I mean I've been there for her before, I know how to help her, Gertrud please. I need her and she needs me. " Mio pleaded, just wanting to see her broken girlfriend. Gertrud turned her back coldly and began to walk off.   
"In my opinion, she needs less of you." With that remark, Gertrud stormed off, leaving Sakamoto confused and upset. Why didn't Minna want to see her? Had she done something wrong?   
She had no idea what was in store for her.

[LINEBREAK] 

 

Surprisingly for everyone, the next few days passed by like a simple summer breeze. Even the day after the meltdown, Minna was acting like nothing had happened, she was especially trying to forget her meltdown.

 

That night she had woken up, at first confused and puzzled at the fact her two closest friends were sharing a bed with her. But afterwards, memories of her performance earlier in the day flooded her mind and reminded her of her problem. The commander put two and two together and realised that Gertrud and Erica must have been worried, and decided to watch over her sleeping. Unfortunately, they weren't very good guardian angels. Minna could tell they had fallen asleep on the job, because both girls were still half dressed. Erica usually slept in her panties anyway, but Trude preferred to sleep completely nude, and in this instance she wasn't. Her bra and panties remained on her body and her face was smushed into the pillow on the right side of Minna, as if she had fallen forwards. On Minna's left, she could just about make out a foot in the darkness, it was resting lightly on the pillow. Blindly, Minna felt up the leg, eventually coming to the torso of Erica. With some pushing and pulling, the red head pulled her younger comrade round so that her head rested on the pillow. How Erica even slept in the positions she did was a mystery to the rest of the 501st JFW. She could sleep just about anywhere with anything and anyone. Nothing could stop Erica from sleeping  
Except the neuroi. The neuroi didn't let anyone sleep, with them it was fight or die.   
Mio had been surprised when she saw her girlfriend walking round the base, right as rain the next day, and decided to ask her about what had been wrong.  
"I was just a little under the weather," Minna had answered. Mio didn't believe her for a second. There was something different about Minna, and Sakamoto could tell. She wasn't sure what was different, although the red head did smell a little strange, Mio's Doberman familiar had picked up on that. Another thing that was strange was that both Barkhorn and Hartmann were both fussing over Minna, the slightest thing wrong would set them off. For example, Shirley had given Minna a friendly slap on the back, it was a little hard, but still friendly. Gertrud had completely blown up about it, Minna had tried to calm her friend down. It took a while, but eventually the brunette had been tamed. Erica had gotten a little mad when Lucchini grabbed the breasts of the commander, but even Mio was overprotective of her girlfriends boobs, and disciplined the young Romagian.   
Barkhorn and Hartmann had also been stuck to Minna like glue, not letting her out of their sight. Mio literally had to order them away before she could have any time with her girlfriend. Even when the two of them were alone, Minna still wasn't being honest. It made the Fuso witch a little mad that secrets were being kept, but Mio reassured herself that Minna wouldn't keep secrets unless it was 100% necessary. 

 

Mio let out a sigh as strolled along the corridor, her Reppumaru bounced slightly on her back as she walked. Minna had told them all of a meeting that would take place later in the day, and she had requested for them all to meet in the main meeting room before lunch.   
'Maybe it's about her strange attitude recently.' Mio thought to herself. As she came to the meeting room doors, she hesitated slightly. All of a sudden she was feeling uneasy about entering.  
"Sakamoto-San?" Yoshika tapped her superior on the shoulder. Sakamoto turned and faced the younger girl.  
"Ah, Miyafuji." The majors broad voice filled the air.  
"Are you okay?" Yoshika smiled at the darker haired girl.   
"Yeah." Sakamoto straightened up and took a deep breath.   
"Let's go in," Sakamoto twisted the handle and entered the room, followed by Yoshika. Surprisingly, they were the last to arrive. They silently sat down and waited for Minna to continue.  
"It has come to my attention that we are running low on a few supplies, and since we aren't due another delivery for a few weeks, I need some of you to go shopping,"   
Surprised murmurs met Minna's request. Yoshika shot Lynne a confused look. They hadn't been running low on anything, there was plenty of food as far as they were concerned. Lynne just shrugged and they continued to listen to Minna.  
"Any volunteers?" When only Yoshika raised her hand, Minna sighed. After a silent debate, she chose Gertrud.  
"Trude, I'd like you to go please."  
Normally the Karlsland solider would jump at any chance to work with her 'little sister' as such. But today was different.  
"But Minna-!" Gertrud stood up and slammed her hand on the desk. Everyone around her jumped in surprise. Captain Barkhorn never protested about anything, as a Karlsland solider she would always obey her commanders wishes.  
"Oi, Trude, sit down," Erica tugged at the brunettes tailed shirt.   
"Hartmann!" Trude started to struggle, yanking her shirt away from the younger ace. "Stop it!" The rest of the Fighter Wing paused and watched the small disagreement take place.   
"Erica, Trude, please sit down and stop." Minna ordered.   
"Minna! You can't make me go." Gertrud finally managed to pull herself away from Erica. She attempted to march around the desk, but Erica made on final lunge for her friend and accidentally grabbed her by the panties. Trude took one step and fell flat on her face, pulling Erica down with her. Unfortunately as she fell, Erica had managed to keep a tight grip on her friends panties, and pulled them down in the tumble. So it ended up with Barkhorn face planting the floor, panties round her ankles, and a blondes face between her legs. Erica's eyes widened.  
"So you don't sh-" Erica was cut off by the captains shout.  
"HARTMANN!" Before anything more could be said, Minna interrupted.  
"Right both of you, outside NOW!" Minna shouted at her best friends. Both girls scuttled to their feet, Trude fumbling with her panties.  
"I SAID NOW!" Minna roared. The two fled from the room, like frightened dogs.  
Outside the room, both girls were stood at ease. Gertrud was at military standard ease, straight back, feet shoulder width apart, head up, hand neatly behind her back. Erica was also at ease... Just Erica standard ease. The ace of aces leaned lazily against the wall, her eyes were half closed as she stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. Gertrud gave her comrade a long, hard stare before turning away with a huff. Erica noticed this and grinned back at the discipline obsessed solider, her grin winded as she noticed a little mess-up in her friends uniform.  
"Trudeeeee~"  
When the blonde didn't get a reply, she leaned over and waved her hand in front of Gertrud's face.  
"Truuuuuuuddeeeeee~" Erica repeated, frowning when the brunettes eyes didn't move.  
"Your shirt is tucked in your panties" Erica whispered in her ear.  
"What?!?" Just as the Karlsland warrior was about to sort her uniform, the meeting room doors swung open. The troops filed out, starting with Sakamoto and ending with Eila piggybacking a sleeping Sanya. The Orussian ace was snoring softly, completely tired out from the previous nights patrol. Minna called the two into the meeting room. Yoshika was stood alone, looking a little nervous.   
"Both of you will accompany Miyafuji-San on a shopping trip tomorrow. You leave at noon, and if you aren't ready," A gaze was directed at a certain blonde, "There will be consequences."   
Erica gulped and Gertrud sighed. With a nod at Yoshika, Minna continued;  
"Miyafuji-San is in charge, if I hear that either of you disobeyed her orders, MY orders, then I will be looking a serious punishment, clear?" Minna barked her orders out to the trio.  
"You may go now Miyafuji, I need to talk with these two."  
Yoshika dipped her head respectfully and left the room. Gertrud was expecting shouting from the second the door was closed, but instead she was met with a soft voice.  
"If either of you ever pull something like that again in my meeting room..." Minna cracked her knuckles. "Erica gnawed on her fingernails like there was no tomorrow and Trude shifted nervously in her stance. Quiet Minna was the scariest Minna.  
"But I have a job for you. I need you both to get these for me while you're out, and don't let Miyafuji see. Please." Minna handed a neatly folded list to the most responsible of the two, knowing Erica would lose it in that crater of junk she hoarded in her room. Gertrud was about to open the lost when Minna shook her head.  
"Just open it tomorrow, it's a little embarrassing," Minna blushed as she said that, turning her head slightly away. Trude just nodded and put the paper in the safety of her pocket. For a moment the three stood in an awkward silence, not knowing what to say. Finally Minna decided to just comment on something, just to give way to a conversation.  
"You two don't need to keep sleeping with me..." Minna remarked.  
"Somebody has to make sure you're okay while you're sleeping and until Sakamoto does it we will." Gertrud said simply, not taking any excuses.  
"But it is a little strange..." Minna trailed off.  
"How about if you managed to persuade the Major to stay with you tonight, we will let you off," Erica winked, knowing too well that Minna would be way to embarrassed about asking her girlfriend to sleep in the same bed. But in that particular mood, Minna was willing to do anything to get rid of her persistent carers.   
"I-I'll ask her then," Minna stuttered.   
"What? Really?" Erica was in awe. Minna nodded nervously.  
"You need to tell her about... That," Gertrud made some wild hand gesture towards Minna's stomach. Minna's hands immediately went down protectively, and she curled her arms around her stomach.   
"... I know... Should I do it tonight?" Minna fretted, her mind running wild with any possible outcome of the situation. After a moment of thinking, Gertrud came to a conclusion.  
"You might as well wait until tomorrow,"   
"Uh-huh." Erica yawned.  
"Oh Trude?"   
"Yes Hartmann?"  
"Your shirt is still tucked into your panties."  
"ARGHHH!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for kudos!  
> I don't own Strike Witches

Previously-

"You need to tell her about... That," Gertrud made some wild hand gesture towards Minna's stomach. Minna's hands immediately went down protectively, and she curled her arms around her stomach.   
"... I know... Should I do it tonight?" Minna fretted, her mind running wild with any possible outcome of the situation. After a moment of thinking, Gertrud came to a conclusion.  
"You might as well wait until tomorrow,"   
"Uh-huh." Erica yawned.  
"Oh Trude?"   
"Yes Hartmann?"  
"Your shirt is still tucked into your panties."  
"ARGHHH!" 

 

CHAPTER THREE

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Gertrud asked, for the 500th time that morning.  
"Trude," Minna placed her hands on the shoulders of her friend.   
"I'm going to be fine." She reassured. Gertrud had struggle dot get to sleep the previous night. She feared something might happen to her commander while she was away, and she wouldn't be able to protect her. But all of that was out of Barkhorns hands, she had a job to do and orders to obey. Minna's two best friends had woken up extra early, well Barkhorn had, and she somehow managed to drag Erica along to the room of the red headed commander. The two had spent the morning preparing Minna, and telling her what she can and can't do whilst they were away. Most of it was Gertrud, but as it became later in the day Erica had woken up properly and given a few tips.  
"C'mon Trude, have some faith!" Erica chirped. Instead of smiling positively at the blonde, Gertrud let a scowl to end all scowls possess her face. Minna looked a little disheartened at the reaction her friend was giving, but still smiled a little.  
"So you're going to tell her today right?" Erica asked. Minna nodded, a nervous smile wavering on her face.  
"I'm just hoping she'll take it okay." Minna looked down a little, her eyes glimmering with many emotions, sadness, regret, confusion... They were all there.  
"If she doesn't, you will always have us!" Erica's attempt to cheer the Karlslandian up had failed miserably, making Minna feel even more depressed.  
"How are you going to tell her?" Despite not wanting to press the commander too far, Gertrud wanted and needed to know.   
"I'm going to have a little picnic prepared and we are going to eat it on the grounds, maybe on the beach if the weather is especially nice."   
"Ooooooo!!! That's sounds fun! Can we have a picnic Trude?" Erica danced around Minna's room, smiling to herself.  
"No. We are going on a mission Hartmann, we don't have time for picnics." Gertrud scoffed, turning her nose up at the idea of the blonde getting her own way.  
" Ehhhhhh? Calling it a mission makes it wayyyy to serious, Trude!" Erica pouted, a childish blush on her face.  
"Hmph! Call it what you like, but you are not having a picnic!"   
"What if Yoshika wants one?" Erica had a cheeky smile on her face as she said that, knowing that Gertrud would give in the her 'little sister'.  
"URGH HARTMANN!" An angry blush blared on the older girls face as Erica teased her. Minna let out a chuckle. It always amused her when her best friends argued. She did wish they would get on better, but sometimes their conflict topics were so funny Minna couldn't help laughing.   
"Your performance the other day too Trude," Erica began winding the brunette up again, " who would have thought YOU, of all people, would FLASH us all in an IMPORTANT MEETING." Erica knew too well the incident was partly her fault, but if Gertrud hadn't been so unreasonable then it wouldn't have happened.   
"SHUT UP! STUPID HARTMANN!"  
It was quite a good thing that both Karlslandians were going on this shopping trip. Even though she tried hard, was reliable and excelled in many subjects, Getrud had a weakness in driving vehicles. Her driving was awful. There had been many disasters where she had stalled, caused crashes, almost driven over cliffs... The list was endless. It was eventually decided for the good of the people that the strong solider was banned from driving on the Karlsland roads. Erica could drive no problem, she found it a breeze and carefully steered the vehicle with skill and talent. However Erica's weakness lay with everything else that wasn't sleeping and eating. She forgot to do almost everything you told her, she was lazy, and even through she was a high ranking ace, she still failed most things. Not because she wasn't smart enough, it was just simply because most things bored her.  
Whilst the two aces were squabbling, Minna began to make her bed; straightening the pillows, tucking the sheets in. The series of movements caught the attention of Erica. With a sly grin she left Trude stood awkwardly by herself and slid over to Minna's side.  
"Ehhh? You're making the bed?"   
Minna hummed softly as she nodded, wondering why Erica was making a big deal out of it.  
"But aren't your sheets dirty?"  
"What do you mean?" It started to dawn on Minna that Erica was implying things about last night. A blush settled on Minna's face. She felt it burning her cheeks, so she turned away from Erica, hoping she didn't see it. Erica gave a sly chuckle.  
"I heard her leaving your room this morning, most of last we could hear y-!" Minna clamped her hand down over Erica's mouth and gave the ace a stare of death.  
"I think you should be getting off now," Minna started to push her friends out of the door.  
"Miyafuji-San will be waiting, oh and don't forget that list Trude," Gertrud tapped her top pocket in reply to the red head and gave her a serious nod.   
"Minna, just promise us one thing?" Gertrud looked her commander dead in the eyes, despite being forcefully removed from the room. Minna stopped her pushing for a second to listen to what Gertrud had to say.  
"Just no flying okay? And take it easy."  
With a sigh Minna replied;  
"These are the front lines Trude, I can make no such promises."   
Gertrud spun round and grasped Minna by the wrist. Her brown eyes bore into Minna's red ones.  
"Please. Or else I won't leave." Gertrud knew that she would have to go shopping wether she wanted to or not, so the threat was empty, but somehow it made her feel better.  
"Ok, I promise"   
Was Minna's reply, her fingers crossed behind her back.

[LINEBREAK]

"Barkhorn-San?"   
Those words snapped Gertrud out of her trance and back to the real world. Miyafuji was looking a little concerned, so the brunette assumed she had repeated herself quite a few times already.  
"Sorry, Miyafuji, I'm a little out of it today." Gertrud looked out of the window of the truck, gazing into the distance.  
"Trude! You're doing it again!" Erica called, one hand on the steering wheel, in the other was a bar of chocolate, half eaten.  
"Erica! Eyes on the road! And is that my chocolate?!" Gertrud stared at the chocolatey goodness melting in Erica's hand. Her eyes widened as realisation hit her.  
"It is mine! Give it back!" The brunette lunged across Miyafuji for the chocolate. Yoshika sat back in her seat to give the ace better access, but at the same time terrified of getting caught up in the mess.  
"Uwah!" Erica snatched her hand out of reach from her angry friend and the truck swerved off the road slightly. Yoshika's eyes were saucers and she bit her nails nervously.  
"Barkhorn-San, Hartmann-san, please can you not-"   
The truck swerved violently for a second time, this round it did a little more damage. The chocolate bar flew out of Erica's hand and was sucked out of the window. Erica gave a screech of despair.   
"Tru-ude! We could have shared!"   
"Why are you mad?! It's my chocolate bar!"Gertrud leaned back into her own seat, freeing Yoshika.   
'How does Minna put up with this?' Yoshika thought to herself, a sweat dropped form her forehead at the idea of spending so much time with the argumentative aces. To avoid conflict, the Fuso girl started a new topic.  
"Are you feeling okay, Barkhorn-San? You said you've been a little out of it, do you want me to check you?" Yoshika smiled at her 'older sister'. Barkhorn blushed but her face still remained stony.  
"I'm just a bit worried that's all."  
"About Minna?" Yoshika asked softly, the reaction she got was the one she had wanted. Gertrud looked away slightly, trying to avoid the subject.  
"Is she still unwell? I could take a look at-"  
"It's not that simple," Erica called grumpily; she was still upset over the chocolate. "Can I tell her Trude? Minna has probably already told Sakamoto, so it should be okay!"   
"Erica! Don't you dare! It's Minna's problem-"   
"I'll tell her about THAT if you don't let me," Erica's blackmailing personality was kicking in.  
"You wouldn't dare," Gertrud blushed an angry shade of red out of frustration. Her teeth clenched as she waited for a response.  
"Well, Miyafuji, Trude has a-" Gertrud flung herself across the cab, and thrust her hand over the mouth of the blonde, making her stop mid sentence.  
"NOT ANOTHER WORD!" Gertrud's threat was empty, since Erica was in the stronger position. Erica bit down on her friends hand, hard. Gertrud jerked her hand away, gritting her teeth.   
"Fine tell her. But you will be the one to suffer Minna's wrath." The Karlalandian turned her head away in disgust. Erica just grinned.  
"Minna is pregnant!" Erica chirped, Gertrud face palmed and Yoshika's mouth swung open.  
"P-p-p-pregnant?!? What? How? Did she cheat on Sakamoto-San?" The Fusan's eyes widened as she continued with her endless questions.  
"Wait? You're a doctor, you should know how babies are made!" Erica giggled.  
"But if she didn't cheat on Sakamoto-San, how is that even possible? Unless She's actually a boy!" Yoshika's eyes degraded to saucers. Many thoughts were running through the her mind.   
"Is it a futanari baby?" Yoshika asked, her tone of voice completely serious.  
Eventually Erica started to breaks down into laughter, tears streaming down her face, even Gertrud managed to crack a smile.   
"You should know all this, Miyafuji. You should have learnt it in your witch training in Fuso." Gertrud was having trouble keep a straight face, especially after the futanari comment.  
"Witch training?" Yoshika questioned. Up until that point it had been forgotten that Yoshika actually hadn't had witch training, since she had flown straight from Fuso to the base, no training required. There was a long silence. The only sound that could be heard was the wheels and engine of the truck as it bounced up and down on the dusty track.   
"Can you explain please, Barkhorn-San?" Yoshika asked, looking in the direction of her 'older sister' as such.  
"You know about the mating cycle of a witch right?"   
Yoshika shook her head, and Gertrud felt a sweat drop.  
"Just get Minna to tell you," Erica grinned, turning the truck off down a main road

[LINEBREAK]

"Minna?" The door creaked open as a certain black haired Fuso Witch crept into the office of her commander.  
"Minna?!" She called again, this time a little louder. No answer. Mio shrugged. The red head must have finished her paperwork if she wasn't in her office. Casually, Mio started to walk round the office, taking in all the smallest things, sometimes gently stroking her medals and awards that hung proudly on the walls. Lost in her own world, Mio walked into the hard oak desk that belonged to her commander. Wincing slightly she rubbed her foot as she took a look at the contents of the desk. Minna was a very tidy person, so her belongings were either in a draw or arranged neatly on the desk. In the corner of the desk, a picture frame stood with a very familiar picture in it. It was the one from Sanya and Yoshika's birthday. Mio smiled at the memory, it was a sweet picture. To her surprise, she noticed another picture on the desk, one of her and Minna. She picked it up for closer inspection.  
"Mio?"  
"AH" Mio jumped, dropping the picture. It bounced off the desk and landed on the floor. Minna watched the screen unfold. Mio bent down to pick the frame up and as she did, the cracked glass shattered onto the floor.  
"Ah. Sorry Minna..." Mio bit her lip regretfully at the mess on the floor. She bent down to clean it up, but she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
"Just leave it. There's something I need to tell you," with that Minna grabbed the hand of the unsuspecting Major and dragged her out.  
"But Minna! It's a health-!" Minna clamped her lips over Mio's mouth, successfully shutting the witch up. Reluctantly Mio gave in to the kiss and returned it with full force. Once separated due to lack of air, the couple trekked down the hallway, their hands clasped tightly together. Despite wanting to, Mio refrained from asking any questions about where they were going and what Minna wanted to tell her. As they walked out the main entrance to the, Minna scooped up a brown woven basket, it was filled with food, unknown to Mio.   
"Would you like me to carry that?" Mio held out her hands to take the heavy basket Minna was holding. Minna hesitated slightly before handing the basket over, warning the fusan not to look inside.  
"I thought we could have lunch together," Minna said, a little quieter than what she normally was.  
" That's a good idea. We haven't spent much time together recently." Mio smiled at her girlfriend, noticing how stiff the red head was and the way she walked was slightly clumsy. Mio squeezed Minna's hand reassuringly and gave her a wide smile. When Minna returned the smile, it was her eyes that gave her away. The fact she want truly happy. The thought of Minna being sad upset Mio a lot. Mio always wanted to help her girlfriend and when Minna didn't ask for help it made her a little mad.   
The couple walked round the outside of the building, to a spot Minna was quite fond of. It was the shade of a large oak tree. The roots rose above the ground in a certain way making it possible and comfortable to to people to sit or lie in a nest of soft grass. But to the two witches surprise, that spot was already taken. In the nest of the roots lay another sleeping couple, Sanya and Eila. The two girls were completely passed out, snoring softly. It wasn't usual for Sanya to be sleeping in the middle of the day, yet it seemed strange to see the Orussian girl asleep outside. Eila was embracing Sanya tightly and the silver haired girl rested her hand on the top of Eila's head. They weren't wearing their normal uniform either. Sanya donned a light floaty blouse that was getting crumpled under Eila's weight. Eila herself had a red checkered shirt with knee length denim shorts, obviously upping her gay factor. The shorts would be inconvenient for emergency sorties however, Minna thought to herself. Eila and Sanya both had smiles on their faces as they dreamt together. Minna and Mio chuckled at the sleeping couple.  
"They're a sweet pair aren't they?" Minna commented. Mio nodded in response.  
"Shall we find somewhere else?" Mio suggested, slightly disappointed that the spot was taken.  
After a while the two finally found a nice spot. It was out of sight from anybody looking out of the base, and gave a nice view out onto the sea, with Gallia shores along the horizon. There was a small tree, giving a little shade which Minna and Mio sat under. Minna set out the blanket she had brought to sit on, it was a good size, big enough for the two of them to lie down next to each other. Mio started to unpack the food, setting it out on paper plates. Minna poured them a drink of ice cold water, it had been frozen the night before and had been melting for most of the day, but it was still icy cold and fresh. Once ready, the two started to eat. Sometimes they would feed themselves, but more often than not they would feed each other, spilling the food as they did so.  
"Did you make these Minna?" Mio gestured to the half eaten chicken sandwiches. Minna nodded.  
"Erica and Trude helped with the other things though," she added, knowing the two would be annoyed if left out.  
"You've been spending a lot of time with them recently..." Mio trailed off slightly.  
"Hmm" Minna continued to eat her sandwich.  
"You've been acting a little different too. And you smell different." Mio commented, breathing in as she did so, just checking that she did smell different.   
"About that... There's something I need to tell you,"   
"What's wrong Minna? Don't you love me?" Mio's eyes flashed with anger, hurt and betrayal.  
"NO! Not at all! Of course I love you!" Mio sighed in relief.  
"Thats good, so what's up?"   
"Well, you see, I'm expecting your-"  
Minna was cut of mid sentence as an alarm rang through the air. The Neuroi alarm.  
"Tell me later Minna! We have to sortie!" The black haired girl offered her hand to Minna and pulled her up. Minna nodded and they sprinted back to the hangar. On their way, they came across Eila and Sanya, half sprinting, half trying to pull Eila's shorts off.  
"Eila! You can't fly with those!" Mio said, dashing past the struggling Suomos witch.  
"I'm aware of that fact!" Eila cursed through gritted teeth, her shorts round her knees, exposing her pale flesh. Sanya leaned over and gave the shorts one last tug, pulling them off but tripping Eila in the process. Sanya ditched the shorts and Eila jumped right up, her knees grazed and shins skinned.   
"Ugh this is weird," Eila wasn't used to just wearing panties, she had her leggings over her panties all the time so without them she felt naked. In front of her, Sanya's dress flapped in the wind, revealing her bare legs and butt crack. Eila smiled at the sight.  
"Eila hurry up!" Minna called, running past the perverted witch. Eila snapped out of her daze and got her head in the game.  
In the hangar, Lucchini, Perrine, Lynne and Shirley were all ready to go, strikers equipped and guns loaded. The four late comers leapt into their units and prepared for takeoff.  
"THREE, TWO, ONE, TAKEOFF!"

[LINEBREAK]

"Hey Barkhorn-San? Isn't that the Neuroi alarm?" Yoshika asked, straining her hearing. The three had spent the afternoon shopping and had somehow managed to persuade Gertrud to a picnic. They had eaten it and started to head back and that was when Yoshika had heard the Neuroi alarm. Erica and Gertrud stopped talking for a moment and listened.  
"We are close to base," Erica commented, looking out the window. Gertrud took a look herself.  
"I CAN SEE THEM!" Erica called out. "Trude... Minna's with them."  
"What?!?" Gertrud leaned out the window, and sure enough, there were eight witches up in the sky.  
"Erica step on it!"  
"But-" Yoshika interrupted, worried for their safety.  
"I DONT CARE! WE ARE GETTING TO THAT BASE!" Erica slammed down on the accelerator at Gertrud's command and put the truck to full speed. It bounced around over the road roughly, jarring all the bones in each girls body. The zapping sound of the Neuroi could be heard and red flashes burst everywhere. The look in Gertrud's eyes was desperate, and Yoshika noticed the same frustration in the blondes eyes as she drove recklessly.  
"I'm going to radio them!' Gertrud screeched, lunging clumsily for the trucks bulky radio. After fiddling around a little she lifted the mic to her lips and started to yell down it.  
"Barkhorn to Sakamoto, Major do you copy?" Gertrud spoke holding into the microphone. No answer. The only thing that could be heard was the crackling of radio frequency.  
"I said, BARKHORN TO SAKAMOTO DO YOU COPY?" With the same response as before, Gertrud lost her temper and merged with her familiar. With one hand she ripped the communication radio out of its place and tossed it out the window. Yoshika didn't dare say a word. The next thing she knew, she nearly smashed though the windscreen because Erica smashed her foot on the breaks. They were there. Erica had cut across the landing strip to get to the hangar, making the journey shorter. The three witches scrambled out of the truck, and sprinted across to the hangar. It took less than a minute for the girls to be up in the air. In front of her, Gertrud could see her friends weaving in and out of the Neuroi beams. Minna was coming dangerously close.  
"MINNNNAAAA!!!!" Erica screamed, damaging her vocal cords. Unfortunately, Minna didn't hear her, but somebody else did. Sakamoto Mio turned her head slightly as the sound of the desperate scream. Possibly the worst mistake she could have ever made. Turning her back on the enemy. A beam was fired in her direction, it was too late to move, and her shield was useless. Mio widened her eyes as she prepared to die.  
'I love you Minna' she whispered to herself.   
"MIO!" Just as Mio was closing her eyes, something darted in front of the Neuroi beam, protecting her body. The beam hit the something, or rather someone, right in the centre of their back. And with a pain filled scream, Minna's lifeless body dropped out of the sky like a stone


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Strike Witches, I just love the series enough to write a long Fanfiction on it.

[PREVIOUSLY]

"MIO!" Just as Mio was closing her eyes, something darted in front of the Neuroi beam, protecting her body. The beam hit the something, or rather someone, right in the centre of their back. And with a pain filled scream, Minna's lifeless body dropped out of the sky like a stone.

 

Chapter 4

The atmosphere in the waiting room room was dark. Stares of hatred were being thrown back and fourth and guilt hung in the air like thick fog. Yoshika was absent from the room, as was Lynne. Sakamoto was sat in the corner, curled up as if she had been stabbed, clutching her stomach. Across the room from her, Gertrud and Erica were sat, the brunette was giving Mio glares of hatred, unseen to the Fuso solider. Erica was sobbing softly into Gertruds shoulder, occasionally whimpering Minna's name. Lucchini was asleep on Shirley's lap, her face distorted with emotion. Shirley stroked the Lucchini's black hair gently, soothing her. The ginger's face was grim and her eyes clouded. She had been the one to catch Minna when she had fallen, she was the only one fast to react.   
Shirley's chest and front were completely stained with blood, a little of it had rubbed onto Lucchini. The busty teen knew that she should change, because being covered in blood wasn't the healthiest thing, but she simply didn't have the heart. Next to them, Sanya was straddling Eila and crying into her neck. Eila rubbed her back soothingly, tears dripping from her own eyes. Eila still hadn't recovered her shorts, and was sitting in just her tight panties. Perrine was next to Sakamoto, her eyes watery.   
When the door slammed open, everybody jumped up, hoping for good news. Instead Lynne entered, supporting a half conscious Yoshika.  
"Please Lynne-chan..." Yoshika sounded completely out of it, a thin trail of blood flowing from the corners her mouth. Perrine jumped up to assist Lynne with Yoshika.  
"Yoshika-chan no. You've been coughing up blood for the last ten minutes. You've done your best," Lynne struggled a little with her best friends weight, despite Perrine helping.   
"Let's lie her down in the room next door," Perrine suggested. When Lynne nodded in confirmation, they exited the room just as fast as they had entered. Everybody returned to their seats and previous positions. 

It was half an hour before any news came through of the status of their commander. A small doctor who had been working in the base for a while, entered the room. Everybody shifted slightly and looked up, but nobody jumped to their feet.  
"She's going to be fine. It was critical hit but thanks to Sargent Miyafuji she pulled through,"  
It took a moment for it to sink it. Once it did, Gertrud leapt to her feet.  
"And the baby?"  
The doctor let out a sigh.  
"Alive. Just about. There have been abnormal magical pulses however, and we suspect there's going to be a miscarriage, we would recommend abortion," he finished.  
"NO!" Sakamoto was on her feet, eyes burning with desire. "I won't let you!"  
Gertrud was also on her feet.  
"It's not your choice to make!" She shouted at the Fuso witch. The two stared each other in the eye for ten seconds, before Erica dragged Trude off to the side.  
"Shut up." She whispered. "Minna wouldn't want you to fight,"  
Gertrud took a deep breath and returned to the centre of the room, ignoring Mio.  
"Can we see her?" Sakamoto asked, her eyes were red and puffy.  
"Only three at a time. And not for long. She's tired and needs to recover."   
Before he could even finish the sentence, Mio, Erica and Gertrud were out of there.   
"Minna!" Mio dashed into the room, making the red head jump. Minna's face was as white as a sheet and her eyes were sunk deep into her skull. Mio collapsed at the side of her bed, holding her girlfriends hand.  
"Minna I'm so sorry. I wouldn't have let you fly if I knew... I should have protected you." Tears flowed freely from the eyes of the Fuso witch. Minna smiled slightly.  
"It's... Okay Mio..." Minna said, her voice as quiet as a whisper, it was also shaky.   
Gertrud and Erica ran in, but at a much slower pace.   
"Minna! I told you! Don't fly!" Gertrud shouted, but only because she had been worried.  
"I-I know... I'm sorry... I didn't think and it all just went wrong... And..." Minna sobbed her way through the last sentence. Erica pushed past Trude and gave the commander what she really needed, a hug. Tears ran freely from the eyes of both girls as they embraced.  
"As long as you're going to be okay Minna," Erica whispered into Minna's ear. Minna winced slightly, as her back hurt when the blonde flung herself at her, but she still hugged her back tightly. Mio also noticed the warm embrace, and stood to join in. Respectfully, Erica removed herself, so Mio could hug her girlfriend. Mio carefully wrapped her arms around Minna, trying not to hurt her. Once released, Trude gave Minna a quick hug.  
"Where's Miyafuji-San?" Minna asked, looking around. She didn't remember a lot, because half the time she was unconscious, and she was still drowsy, but she had recognised Yoshika's voice during the surgery. There was a moment of silence in the room.  
"She had to be forced out of here, because she started coughing blood," A voice came from the doorway. It was Lynne.  
"Coughing blood? Is she okay?" Minna was afraid the girl would lose her magical power if she did so much healing. "She must have done a lot,"   
Lynne nodded.  
"It took ten minutes to get her out..." Lynne said sadly, fiddling with her fingers. "But she woke up a few minutes ago and wanted to know how you are. She tried her best, you know?" Lynne shuffled nervously in the door.  
"Minna isn't going to be leaving this room anytime soon. Her back will take a while to heal and we need to make sure the progress of her child hadn't been interrupted. I'm thinking of calling in Georgette Lemare." A doctor said from behind Lynne. The Brittanian jumped slightly as he spoke and spun round to see him.  
"Lemare? Of the 502nd?" Mio questioned. The doctor nodded.  
"She's brilliant. I've worked with her before. I think that's enough visitors for one day. Your commander needs to rest, Y'know?" The doctor joked, smiling at the witches. Lynne left the room without a problem, eager to get back to her best friend. The other three were a little more difficult. They had been told only one of them should stay the night with Minna, just to relax her and keep her stress levels low.   
"Obviously I should be the one staying with her, I'm her best friend!" Gertrud glared at Mio through narrowed eyes.  
"I'm her girlfriend. And this is our problem."  
"YOUR PROBLEM? She's the commander of everybody here!"   
"If you had stayed with her today, this wouldn't have happened!"  
"It's all your fault! You should have been looking-"  
"THATS ENOUGH!" Erica stood up and yanked the two apart. Despite her height disadvantage, Erica stood her ground and didn't flinch when she received glares of anger.  
"Can't you see this is stressing Minna?" Both Gertrud and Mio tossed their gazes at the weakened commander, propped up by many pillows on the bed. Minna had been watching the argument, and she was clearly distressed about the situation.  
"GET OUT!" Erica yelled at the two. When they didn't move, she took a step towards them and cracked her knuckles. Before her foot had even hit the ground, Gertrud and Mio fled from the room, the door closing behind them. Erica sighed and looked over at Minna. Minna tried to smile but only stress entered her eyes.  
"Whats going to happen to the 501st now that I can't command them?" Minna fretted.  
"And Mio and Trude are really bad..."  
"Minna." Erica strolled towards the panicked commander and placed her cool hands on the smooth cheeks of the red head, " Don't worry. You can sleep now, and we can sort it all out tomorrow."  
"Really?"  
Erica nodded reassuringly.   
"Of course. You need your rest," The blonde gave her best smile to Minna, then sat down on the stool next to the bed and held Minna's hand. Minna smiled at Erica and tried to relax as she leant back on the plump pillow, gasping as pain seared through her. Erica felt the hand in hers grip her fingers tightly.  
"Where does it hurt?" She asked softly. Between gasps, Minna tried to speak.  
"T-the... Middle...my... Spine...." The red head lunged forward, her pupils small and breathing laboured. Erica watching in shock, as her best friend started to spasm.  
Erica called for a doctor as Minna started to wheeze heavier.   
"Minna. Listen to me. Calm down. Try to breathe normally." The doctor said in a loud, clear voice. Minna's body continued to shudder and she let out a twisted scream of pure pain.  
"Listen to me Minna, breathe in, breathe out. It's okay. We're here for you," The doctor knelt down so he was level with the red head. Erica started to bite her nails. It hurt her to see Minna suffering so much. When none of the doctors techniques were working to calm her, he pulled a syringe from his pocket, and without a second thought he jabbed it into the bare leg of the unsuspecting commander. After a moment or two, Minna's breathing returned to normal, and her spams stopped. Exhausted, Minna drooped forward, losing consciousness. As the doctor lay her back into the pillows, Erica asked him a question.  
"Why didn't you syringe her at first?"  
With a sigh, he answered.  
"The syringe is a last resort. It can cause long term difficulties if used too often, it's best if she learns to control the spasms and how to stop and prevent them."   
Erica didn't respond. She simply stared at the crumpled bedsheets. The doctor called for a drip, and attached it into Minna's arm, just above the wrist. Erica watched as the liquid flowed down the tube, into the bloodstream.  
"Can you get in touch with the 502nd please, Lieutenant Hartmann?" When Erica nodded, the doctor leaned in closer, "I've never seen a case like this amongst witches; I want to call Lemare in. I'm concerned about commander Wilcke. Keeping this baby could be the difference between her life and death, right now she isn't strong enough to handle it,"   
"But it's still her choice," Erica added, turning tail and heading for the waiting room. Only Lucchini, Eila, Sanya and a blood splattered Shirley remained. Perrine and Lynne were seeing to Yoshika, and Mio and Gertrud must have been settling their differences. Everybody apart from Eila was asleep. None of them looked happy, their faces bitter as if caught in an endless nightmare.  
"Eila?" Hartmann looked in the direction of the light blonde. Her gaze was fixated on the wall and her eyes were locked on one particular spot. She didn't respond to Erica calling her. Sighing, Erica tapped the Suomi. Eila immediately jumped, disturbing the sleeping Sanya who was on her lap.  
"Eila, I need you to go to the radio tower and call for the 502nd." When she received a questioning look, Erica continued.  
"Our wing is unable to fight. Our commander is down, the higher ranks are unstable too and we need to call in Georgette Lemare. Minna needs help."   
Slowly, lifting Sanya with her, Eila rose to her feet and nodded. Eila was surprised that somebody like Erica could remain calm in such a situation, but then again, she was the ace of aces.  
Piggybacking Sanya, Eila made her way down the long corridors, stopping every now and then to adjust the Silver haired girl perched on her back.

[LINEBREAK]

"Minna?" A soft voice entered the head of the drowsy girl, pulling her gently from her dreams. Minna slowly opened her eyes, opening and closing them quickly when sunlight seared into them. A warm hand was in her own, and Minna drew in her fingers to make a fist and clasped onto it.   
"Mio?" She mumbled wearily.   
"How are you feeling? The doctor said you had tough time last night," Mio stroked the face of her commander. Memories of the previous night flooded inside Minna's head like a gushing river. The spasms, her inability to control herself, it all came back and Minna opened her eyes fully.   
"Mio..." She whispered, her eyes filling with tears.   
"Shhhh..." Mio leaned in and planted a kiss on Minna's lips. The Fusan didn't dare hug Minna, for she could damage her spine, but the red head craved intimacy. Minna tugged on Mio's shirt, until she got the idea. Once she realised, without breaking their kiss, Mio slid onto the bed, next to Minna. The couple clasped their hands together and shared a brief moment in a world of their own. They parted from their kiss, Minna had a little dribble of saliva escaping from the corners of her mouth. Mio smiled and wiped it away. For a few minutes, Mio and Minna just embraced each other, growing a little teary.   
"Please don't fight with Trude anymore..." Minna asked, looking into the dead centre of her girlfriends eyes. Mio let out a chuckle.  
"You don't need to worry. We settled our differences." She laughed in her usual way.  
Minna nodded in appreciation. Mio attempted to remove and replace her arm, and in the process she hit Minna's tender breast. Minna flinched and pulled her hands up defensively, protecting her slightly swollen chest.  
"Ah! Minna! I'm sorry!" Mio ceased action and gave the red head some space.  
"Are they really sore?"   
Minna nodded.  
"Pregnancy hormones I presume," she chuckled, a little painfully. "Hey-! Mio!" Minna struggled as the Fuso witch started to remove Minna's loose night gown by pulling it over her head, ripping the drip out in the process. Mio dropped the piece of cloth on the floor. Minna clasped her hands across her chest, trying to shield them from Mio's watchful eye. After a moments thought, Mio came to a conclusion;  
"Your nipples look darker," She stated. That comment earned her a chop to the head.   
"Can we put my shirt back on please?" Minna questioned, pulling the covers up to defend herself. Instead, Mio straddled her girlfriend and got to work. She pinned Minna's hands down on the pillow and began work on tending to the breasts. Mio slowly began to suck on Minna's prominent nipple, swirling her tongue around it repeatedly.  
"Mio..." Minna's speech was breathy, " Stop... We can't do this here!" Minna's body said otherwise. Minna could feel heat rising up downstairs and her legs shuddered as Mio brought waves of pleasure to the commander. Mio bit down on Minna's nipple in response and continued to lick and massage the breast. Moaning slightly, Minna tried to push Mio off her. But Minna was sick, and Mio had always been the stronger of the two.   
"Commander, we've brought-" Gertrud froze in her tracks as she opened the door. Mio quickly removed herself from the chest of her girlfriend, a trail of saliva linking her to the breast. Gertrud slammed the door shut, her companion looked confused. When the door was slammed shut. Mio lunged for Minna's shirt and somehow managed to throw it over her girlfriend.   
The door reopened.  
"Sorry about that," Gertrud was blushed a deep red, and walked in, followed by a smaller girl. She also had brown hair, tied neatly in two bunches and wore a long white Doctors jacket over what looked like a Gallian uniform.  
"This is Georgette Lemare. She's a skilled healer from the 502nd" Gertrud introduced her companion, who gave everybody in the room a smile.  
"She's going to be helping you get back on your feet Minna" A flash of relief briefly made an appearance in Gertrud's eyes. Mio looked content as well as she examined the newcomer.  
"I'm going to make a start, would you two mind leaving us alone?" Georgette suggested politely, valuing Minna's privacy. Before either of the two in question could complain, the Gallian witch spoke again.  
" I understand that you are close, but this is really something Commander Minna needs to deal with..." Georgette smiled sweetly, her face was purity at its finest. Enchanted by the smile, Gertrud and Mio left the room.  
Lemare turned to Minna.   
"I've been briefed on what happened, but before we begin, I just need to ask you something," Georgette.  
"Go on"  
"How precious is the baby to you?"  
There was a moment of silence.  
"I would protect it with my life." Minna swore from that moment, she would look after that child for as long as she lived.  
"Then," Georgette smiled, "I will do everything in my power to make sure I save it."

[LINEBREAK]

"I wonder who that loan from the 502nd is..." Sanya yawned a big yawn, making the last part of that sentence almost inaudible. Eila shrugged, tugging on her pants, not particularly caring. She couldn't even remember where the 502nd were stationed, let alone who was involved.   
"You seen distracted, Eila," Sanya commented, jolting the Suomi out of her daydream world where Sanya was everywhere. Eila just nodded, letting her gaze drift a little. Slowly, Sanya walked across the room to her girlfriend, and sexily wrapped her arms around her half naked body. Eila had been stood in her bra for a while, and dropped her shirt when Sanya advanced. Sanya's hands crawled up from her lovers waist, towards Eila's round breasts. Sanya thought that Eila wouldn't be able to reject her, as the ace loved having her breasts touched. However as much as she loved Sanya and boob rubs, Eila simply wasn't in the right mood, and pushed the silver haired girl away. Sanya stared up at her partner with question littering her eyes. Eila usually loved morning sex. Eila didn't look down.  
"I'm sorry. I'm just not in the mood right now." She said abruptly. Sanya detached herself from her girlfriend and planted a kiss on her cheek. She then continued to get dressed, sadly, wondering why she was rejected. The Orussian girl was delicate, and simple things like being rejected really hurt her.  
Sanya's thought train was brought to an immediate stop as a sharp knock sounded at the door.  
"Juutilainen?" The voice belonged to Gertrud. Eila coughed before responding.  
"Yes?" She answered, pulling her shirt on and possibly breaking a world record for how fast she buttoned up.  
"There's somebody here that you should see." Before Eila could respond to the statement. The door burst open and in walked a familiar face. Nikka Evardine Katajainen. Eila's mouth made the shape of an 'O' and she gasped in delight.  
"AH! Nipa!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thou doesn't own le Strike Witches~

"Again." Lemare ordered, as she watched Minna struggle for the fourth time that day. Using the frame, Minna pulled herself to her feet, and slowly walked inside the metal bars. Her feet fell heavily with each step, and she stumbled often, but she kept trying. For the last four weeks, Georgette had been trying to get Minna walking again. Trying to walk a month after being shot in the spine was incredible. The process would usually take months to perfect, but since Minna was a witch and Georgette a skilled healer, the time had been narrowed down so much. The foetus was doing well too. Georgette had assigned herself as Minna's midwife, and was performing regular examinations on the Karlslandian as well as informing her of the stages of pregnancy. The day after the two loaned witches had arrived, Yoshika had made a speedy recovery. The young Fuso witch had been upset and disappointed with herself when she found out somebody else had been healing Minna. She was happy of course, for their commander would be back on track quicker, but secretly she wanted to be Minna's midwife.  
Georgette watched as Minna stumbled and collapsed into a wheelchair at the end of the support bars. She made a few notes on her clipboard and then placed it to one side.   
"That was good. We can try again later. And I want to check the baby as well. " Georgette walked over to Minna and offered her a cloth to wipe her sweaty forehead. Minna gratefully accepted it.  
"I can't thank you enough... And it was lucky that you got here so quickly..." Minna smiled at the younger girl, who just returned the gesture.   
"You're welcome Commander. This is a war, we need everybody to be prepared and fit to fight," Lemare checked the clock, it read 4:13PM.  
"I think your girlfriend is coming for you soon, they usually finish by half past,"   
For the past few days, Mio had been taking Minna for a walk around the base. By walk, their trip would initially be composed of Mio pushing Minna in the wheelchair, but neither girl had a fault with that. They would spend the afternoon lay on the soft grass together, until dinner, where Mio would load the redhead onto the wheelchair and then return to the base.   
Minna was surprised when it first happened, thinking it was a one off. But everyday since then Mio came for her, and it made Minna really happy.   
"I'll have another quick wash, I think Georgette." Minna was sweating, and she didn't want to spend the afternoon feeling yucky. Georgette pushed Minna to the infirmary bathroom, it was a huge room, it had many sinks and toilets as well as showering blocks and baskets for clothing. Once there Minna clutched onto Georgette, and the brunette guided the redhead to a small stool, where Minna's gown was removed, revealing her naked body. In the afternoons, Minna put her uniform on, as it was extremely breezy outside without panties on, but during the day she simply went commando under her white hospital gown. Georgette filled up a large wooden bucket, presumably Fuso made, with water and places necessities in front of Minna. Minna could wash her front and the of top of her legs herself, but because her spine still wasn't fully healed, Lemare made sure that she washed Minna's back, and any place she couldn't reach.   
"Your breasts have grown a little Minna." The Gallian witch commented, smiling cheekily. Minna blushed and looked down at herself. They did seem a heavier than usual...  
"Well you are eight weeks along, they do start to grow a bit during this this stage, but they will grow a lot more in these coming weeks." Minna just nodded in response and tried to awkwardly hide her breasts.   
"I wonder how Nipa is doing in training," Georgette looked up glanced upwards, as if she was looking up at the sky, and wondered how her comrade was getting on in Mio's harsh training sessions.

[LINEBREAK]

"YES NIPA!" Eila called out as her partner hit Yoshika on her back with paintball practice rifle, thus ending the match. Eila's face had lit up at her friend being able to do something helpful. The last week of training had been leading up to a tournament between different teams of two. There were four pairs, Lynne and Yoshika, Shirley and Lucchini, Eila and Sanya, and Perrine and Mio. That was until Nipa started attending the training. Due to Mio's recommendation, Nipa had joined in with the 501st trading sessions to get some practice in, but as she didn't have a partner, Eila offered to go with her, since Sanya was running late. Ever since Sanya had arrived at the session, she had been feeling depressed. The fact that Eila was partnered with somebody other than her made her jealous and upset, and when the Orussian asked her girlfriend to switch back, Eila told her that it was a little late since her and Nipa had already gotten in the mood. So that was why the silver haired girl was sat in the shade of the tree by herself. Once she realised her partner was gone, Sanya hadn't bothered to take off, and excused herself from training. Watching Nipa in the air with HER Eila made Sanya feel betrayed. The Orussian had been in a bitter mood since the previous night when she had come in from night patrol, completely soaked to the bone with freezing cold rain.  
She had gone through her normal schedule, ditching her equipment in the hangar, and starting to undress herself on the way to her and Eila's shared room. Once immediately inside, Sanya had dropped her wet clothes on the floor and proceeded to fall face first onto Eila's bed. She had braced herself for hitting the hard mattress, but instead she was greeted with a warm body. It took Sanya two seconds flat to realise somebody else was sleeping in her spot. And to her horror, that person was the loan, Nikka Evardine Katajainen. Sanya grunted and tried to push the intruder off the bed, but Nikka was somewhat attached to Eila, putting Sanya in a worse mood. In the end, Sanya just climbed up the ladder onto her top bunk, feeling hurt and upset. This 'Nipa' girl had only been at the base for a week, and already Sanya was fed up with her. Eila had been neglecting her girlfriend in order to spend time with the Suomi witch, leaving Sanya craving intimacy and love.  
Eila had also been forgetting Sanya. It sounded ridiculous, but sometimes Sanya would fall asleep during dinner, or a meeting, and usually Eila would either wake her or carry her back to the room. But with Nipa around, Eila just simply forgot about the poor girl, and Sanya would remain asleep until Yoshika or Erica found her.  
Sanya took another look at the sky, something in her heart broke at the sight of seeing the two having so much fun without her, and a single shimmering tear rolled down her face.  
"Eila..." She whispered, her fists clenching. There was movement besides her and somebody plonked themselves right down next to her. Sanya looked up.  
"Yo!" Erica smiled, playfully saluting the Orussian.  
"Ah. Erica," Sanya quickly wiped away her tears.  
"What's wrong Sanyan?" The blonde asked. She and Sanya were actually quite good friends. They spent a lot of time talking together, bonding.   
Instead of answering Erica, Sanya simply looked up at the sky.   
It took a moment, but Erica did realise what she was looking at.   
"It's Eila and Nipa, right?" Erica asked quietly, Sanya nodded. Erica grew silent.   
"I'm sure she's just having fun being with somebody from her own country," Erica didn't sound very persuasive at all, but she still smiled.  
"Anyway, how about we do some training? It's no good being sat down here," When the ace saw the look Sanya gave her, she chuckled.  
"Don't worry, we don't have to do it near them,"   
Sanya nodded in agreement and rose from the ground. The two girls headed to the hangar.

[LINEBREAK]

"Ready Minna?" Mio poked her head around the doorframe of the ward. Minna was indeed ready. She was in her wheelchair, freshly washed, and a smile on her face. Mio grinned when she saw her girlfriend.   
"Don't bring her back too late, I have examinations to do," Georgette warned. Mio nodded in response.  
"Let's go" Minna tugged her girlfriends sleeve impatiently. Mio grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and began steering Minna out of the room.   
Before the two even knew it, they were out on the grounds, in the sunshine. Above them two witches could be seen training, Erica and Sanya.   
"My, that's unusual, seeing Sanya without Eila," Minna commented. Mio didn't answer; she was out of breath as Minna certainly wasn't the lightest witch on base and the ground was terrible for wheelchairs.   
"I've been noticing conflict between Sanya and Nikka, do you think we should sort them out?" Minna felt bad that Mio had to push her so far, but she knew Mio didn't mind too much.  
"I think..." Mio wheezed, " That we should just leave them... For now... It could do Sanya some good if she's away from Eila for a bit." Mio halted the wheelchair. They had reached their spot. It wasn't the same place as they had gone some weeks ago when Minna had tried to tell Mio about the baby, that would've brought back too many memories.  
"Here's fine again?" Mio asked for confirmation despite already knowing the answer. Minna nodded and pulled the breaks on her wheelchair. Mio started to lay out the patchwork blanket, straightening the corners and soothing the edges.  
"Can you give me a hand please?"   
"Sure," Mio stood up straight and offered her arm for Minna to lean on. The commander took it gladly and used it to pull herself up. Slowly the two took a couple of steps, so they were on the blanket, and Mio lowered Minna down. Each day their routine differed slightly, depending on how Minna was feeling and how sore her back was. Once the redhead was down, Mio went and lay next to her, hand behind her head. Minna had a cushion with her, to support her spine, so she used that to make herself slightly more comfortable on the hard ground. The two made themselves comfortable and looked up at the sky.   
"It's strange looking up when I'm so used to being up there," Mio raised her hand out in front of her, as if she was reaching for an invisible sword.  
"Mmmmm. I'm going to be seeing that a lot," Minna closed her eyes, not wanting to be reminded of the nine months she would be spending on the ground. Minna turned to her girlfriend and Mio looked at her from the corner of her eye.  
"I don't know what to do Mio." She said. "I'm scared. I don't know what I should do. I don't want to be like this. I don't want to leave the 501st. I don't want to leave you"   
That last word echoed in Mio's head, over and over again. Mio turned onto her side and looked Minna dead in the eyes.  
"No matter what happens, I'll stay with you, okay?" Mio leaned in and kissed Minna lightly. Minna returned the kiss, but not as much as the Fuso witch had hoped.  
"The higher ups aren't going to like this. I'll have to leave the front lines to care for our baby, and they won't have a commanding officer for this unit." Minna sighed.   
"No... We could promote Barkhorn, and have her take over while you're away."   
"Trude? Why can't you do it?" Minna asked worriedly, her eyes growing large as she stared into Mio's grey one. Mio laughed.  
"That's because I'm coming with you!"   
"You don't mean...?"   
"Of course I do! I can't let go by yourself!" Mio clasped Minna's hand.  
"We can get a place together, just me and you,"   
"And the baby?"   
"Naturally."   
Minna smiled, a pure smile. One pure enough to melt the heavens.  
"I love you, Mio. Stay with me forever."   
"I love you too," Mio pulled her girlfriend into a tight embrace and grinned. Minna winced, gripping into the white jacket belonging to Mio a little tightly.  
"Ouch, careful!" Minna was instantly released. She shivered a little, the cold getting to her. Mio seemed to notice this, sat up and began to strip. Minna blushed.  
"What are you doing?"  
"You look cold." Mio removed her white jacket and sat Minna up. She wrapped it round the redheads shoulders, and Minna stuffed her arms down the sleeves.   
"Don't bother with the buttons," the Karlslandian commented to Mio, was was sat in all her glory wearing only her bathing suit.   
"On the subject of a place together, when can I move into your room? The bed is big enough." The Fuso witch snuggled in closer to Minna, nuzzling her shoulder.  
"Whenever. I hope to be back in it by the end of this week."  
With her eyes shut, Mio couldn't see, but she could hear Minna shuffling around. She seemed uncomfortable.  
"Hmm? Minna?" Mio kept her eyes closed.  
"I'm okay." Minna shuffled a little more, clearly in discomfort.  
"Are you sure?" This time, the black haired witch opened her eyes and took a hard look at Minna. Her face was slightly flushed and her eyes seemed to be elsewhere. Her hands were fidgeting around.   
"Well... Umm... Actually..." Minna stuttered, her situation was quite embarrassing, was she was reluctant to continue, but the intensity in Mio's gaze pressed her.  
"I need to pee..." She mumbled quietly. Mio's attitude changed.  
"I went before I came out... But Georgette did mention something about this happening during pregnancy..."   
"Can you hold it?" Mio desperately wanted to stay where she was, with her and Minna curled up watching the sky, but luck wasn't on her side.  
"...no..."   
Mio sighed and sat up. She smiled faintly, when she saw Minna adorable embarrassed face.  
"Let's get back them. Lemare did want to check you, didn't she?" Mio leant down and offered her hands to Minna. The redhead accepted, but this time Mio pulled her up, a little fast if anything. Minna squeaked.  
"What's wrong?!" With a concerned tone in her voice Mio froze.  
"Nothing. Just don't be as fast, please. It's hard to hold." Minna looked away, her expression hidden from the watchful eye of Mio.  
"How about I tickle you? Will that make it any better?" Mio started to wriggle her fingers around. Minna squirmed under her grip.  
"Stop that... If you don't... I'll...." Minna gasped, trying to break free. Mio stopped her torture and assisted Minna in sitting in her wheelchair. Mio proceeded to fold the blanket, before handing it to Minna to store on her lap.   
Mio was feeling the breeze as she pushed Minna back, as the latter was wearing her jacket.   
"I'm sorry Mio. Next time I won't drink anything before we come out, so you won't be disappointed." Minna lowered her head.  
"Huh?! Oh... Don't worry about it, I just want to spend time with you that's all."  
"We can sit together in the infirmary room can't we?" Minna asked hopefully.   
"Sure."  
[LINEBREAK] 

"That was fun, we should train together more often!" Erica exclaimed, smiling over at Sanya, who walked at a slightly slower pace.  
"Mmm," Sanya hummed in confirmation.   
"Shall we take a bath? I'm reallllyyyy sweaty," Erica sniffed slightly and pulled a disgusted face: that training had paid off as she could feel the dampness of her shirt clinging to her hot body.   
"Yeah, a bath would be nice," Sanya smiled at her friend, and Erica returned the gesture. The blonde then proceeded to bring her hands up behind her head.   
Upon arriving at the bath, it was clear to there were people occupying it, for clothes were left all over the floor. One item of clothing, Sanya identified as Eila's jacket. Sadly she picked it up and brought it to her nose, where she inhaled the smell of her lover. Sanya closed her eyes, and images of Eila filled her mind. Her vision was disrupted as the jacket was ripped form her grasp. Confused, the Orussian girl opened her eyes.  
"Erica...?" She asked quietly, arms reaching out for the cloth. Erica grinned and shook her head.  
"This is our time Sanyan. Forget about Eila for now," Erica knew she was asking an impossible task, but she tried it anyway. Erica dropped the blue jacket back on the floor. Sanya gave it one last longing look, before removing her tie, followed by the rest of her clothes.   
The two exited the changing room, and made their way to the luxury outdoor bath. The fresh air was cool against Sanya's hot skin, and she shivered slightly, clutching her towel closer. Erica sported no towel at all, for she was completely open with her body; she didn't care if she had no breasts, or if her body wasn't right, that was her business. Plus she didn't care if people looked.  
At the top of the steps, the bath came into view, as did it occupants. Eila and Nipa were sat in one corner, splashing each other playfully. Sanya was just turning to leave when Erica grabbed her towel firmly.  
"Stay." She ordered. With hesitance in her step, Sanya turned back and stepped into the bath. The rippled water caught the attention of Eila. The Suomus ace looked up, her face broke into a wild grin when she saw her girlfriend sliding into the bath. Eila made as if she was going to go to the silver haired girl, but Nipa grabbed her should and said something into her ear. Eila broke down laughing. Obviously at the distance apart they were, neither Erica nor Sanya could hear what was said, but to be frank Sanya didn't want to.   
For what seemed like an eternity, none of the groups interacted with each other. Nipa and Eila laughed to themselves, whereas Erica and Sanya sat in silence, but it was fine that way. The four were joined by two unsuspected guests, much later in the evening. Minna and Mio. Mio was carrying Minna bridal style, leaving her own body completely exposed to the world. It was quite a rare sight to see the Fuso witches' naked ass, as she was usually more strict with indecency rules.  
"Ah. Hartmann, Sanya." Mio gave them a greeting, before nodding to the Suomos girls across the bath from them. They didn't respond. Minna seemed uncomfortable with all the people around her, and shifted in Mio's strong arms. The Karlslandian had a towel draped loosely over her torso, covering most of her body, however the cloth didn't hide her wound. It was an awful spiked shape, it being a deep red in the middle and shifting to deeper pink round the edges. Erica stood up and reached for Minna's hand. Minna jolted in surprise.  
"It's horrible Minna. Don't ever do anything like that again." The blonde whispered in her native tongue, so only Minna understood. Mio looked confused; her Karlslandian speak wasn't the best.   
"I had to. I'm sorry Erica," Minna squeezed her hand tightly, looking away slightly. Erica released her hand and went to sit down, but Mio stopped her.  
"Actually Erica, can you give us a hand please?" Mio asked, smiling awkwardly, and nodding her head towards Minna. The injured commander wouldn't be able to get in by herself, and this was her first full soak since she had been injured. Erica nodded and reached up to take Minna. Mio knelt down and passed her princess to the blonde, who lowered Minna into the bath. The redhead winced slightly as the hot water gushed into her back. Mio then lowered herself in, and supported Minna in sitting down.  
"Thanks Erica, we can manage from here," Mio gave her a thankful smile, Erica nodded and returned to Sanya. The silver haired girl was starting to fall asleep, her eyes closing slowly. Erica sighed.  
"C'mon Sanyan. Let's go back now." Erica said softly to the half sleeping girl. Sanya opened her eyes, and with a big yawn she pushed herself out of the bath.  
Mio watched through her half closed eye as the two headed out, leaving only four in the bath. She noticed Minna glancing round uncomfortably beside her.  
"What's wrong?" She asked. Minna shrugged.  
"It's been a while since I've been in here..." She said, shivering. Mio slid closer and wrapped her arm around Minna's shoulders.  
"You'll be fine, besides I'm here."  
A laugh sounded from the other side of the bath.  
"They're here too, but I'm pretty sure they've been here a while, so I think Eila and Nikka will leave." Mio reassured. And sure enough, as if they heard Mio's words, the two Suomus girls began to rise from the bath. The two were just about visible through the steam, being quite bold, Eila and Nipa had left their towels back in the changing room, and simply walked stark naked to the bath, and would be leaving in a similar fashion. Back in Suomus, nudity was quite a relaxed thing.  
"We're all alone now. Alls good," Mio smiled at Minna, who was slightly more relaxed when it was only her and her girlfriend alone.  
"How's the baby?" Mio asked curiously.  
"It's a foetus at the moment," Minna chucked, "but Georgette said everything appears to be fine."  
"Didn't the doctor say something about high magical energy?"  
"Yes. But it just vanished. Georgette didn't get here in time to take a look, but by that time it was gone."  
"Huh. Weird." Mio shrugged. Minna reached for the fusan's hand under the water, and squeezed affectionately. Mio gave her another squeeze, and turned her head to look into Minna's deep red eyes.   
The two stared lovingly at each other for a moment, before they leaned together and closed the gap between them, locking their lips together. Mio immediately gained dominance, by thrusting her tongue deep into Minna's mouth, and wrestling with the latter's tongue. Minna gave in to Mio, and let the black haired witch suck on her tongue until she was satisfied. Minna shifted her position and Mio went to grope her breasts. Moving around to a better position was a good idea, Mio attached both hands to the orbs of the Karlslandian, and straddled her girlfriends waist.   
Since Minna struggled to move because of her back, this position was the best. Mio had full access to her girlfriend's body and Minna had support for her back. Mio started to grind down on Minna's thigh, squeezing her own legs together and getting pleasurable reactions from Minna.   
That was, until Minna pushed her girlfriend off. The push was a surprise attack, and Mio certainly didn't anticipate it, and simply slipped off her girlfriend fall backwards rather ungracefully into the water. Minna spun round with her hand clutched over her mouth, and promptly emptied her stomach contents over the edge of the bath. Mio was just sat there in the water, watching as Minna vomited. The fusan was feeling the effects of her pent up sex drive taking control of her body as blood rushed to placed she didn't want to think of. As Minna had be hospitalised because of her back, Mio had been feeling very sexually deprived. It was said that girls from Fuso had a high sex drive, and Mio was living proof. Tonight had been her shot at reliving some of the pain she was in, but alas, pregnancy hormones kicked in and ruined everything.  
After snapping out of arousal mode, Mio leaned over and rubbed Minna's back. The redhead seemed to be having trouble breathing, and was gasping for air between retches. Mio could do nothing but stand and watch.   
Once the attack was over, Minna collapsed back into Mio's warm arms. Mio attempted to continue from where they left off, but Minna made it clear that it wasn't going to happen, as she had just thrown up next to the bath, and it needed sorting. Mio sighed and lifted Minna out the bath, and carried her back to the changing rooms. As Minna was exhausted, Mio simply draped her jacket over the shoulders of her girlfriend, before pulling on her bathing suit hurriedly. She then used the radio by the doorway to call for cleaners, the request was granted as one of the regulars turned the corner and asked for the details.  
Minna had fallen asleep in the black haired witches arms, and Mio didn't want to hike back over to the medical wing, so instead she headed for the normal living quarters. Since Minna had a bigger bed, that was the room she chose to stay in. Upon entering, she placed her girlfriend carefully on the bed, and removed the jacket from around her shoulders. Mio then peeled her bathing suit off her lean body and ditched it on the floor. She climbed into bed next to her girlfriend, and stoked her face. Mio kissed Minna's cheek before settling off to sleep herself.

[LINEBREAK]

Sanya felt a gaze burning into her back as the door to her room was opened. She remained a still as possible, and tried to breathe as if she was asleep.   
"Is she asleep?" Nipa's voice could be heard from the floor below Sanya, as she had climbed onto the top bunk ( her actual bed) instead of sleeping on Eila's bottom bunk.   
Eila climbed the ladder slightly and took a look at her girlfriend. She stared for a while, and came to the conclusion that the Orussian girl was sleeping. She sighed and climbed down.  
"Yes. I think so," Eila started to undress. Upon exiting the bath, the two hadn't put much on, as they would be getting into bed soon, so undressing was a simple job. Nipa only had her panties and shirt on, so both came off immediately. Eila was pretty much the same, the only difference was that she had buttoned her shirt up, and Nipa had not.   
"What are we doing tomorrow Illu?" Nipa asked sliding into Eila's bed. Eila shoved Nipa over and got in herself.  
"Well tomorrow is Mine and Sanya's six month anniversary, so I want to be with her," Eila rolled over so she had her back to Nipa. Sanya smiled to herself, as her heart skipped a beat. Nipa frowned.  
"But I thought we could pull some pranks together,"   
"Sorry."   
"You've turned into a right corny sap, Illu" Nipa teased, pressing herself against Eila's back. Eila squirmed uncomfortably. Nipa grabbed her friends breasts and squeezed, Eila squeaked.   
"Small as ever, Illu." Nipa teased. Sanya prickled with anger on her top bunk.  
"Just because I'm not a boob monster like you," Eila scoffed. The ace spun round and grabbed her friends breasts roughly.   
"Ouch! Let go!" For a minute or two the girls struggled against the grasping hands of each other, trying to get away but remain holding onto the other. Sanya could hear tussling going on below her, and she didn't like it. With a silent growl she pulled herself up into a sitting position and swung herself over the bed. Eila and Nipa froze as Sanya dropped to the floor. Eila's bra had been pulled awkwardly to the side, exposing her, and Nipa was completely commando.  
"Sanya-! It's not what you think-!" Eila pushed Nipa off her and tried to sit up, she fell off the bed in the process. Sanya glared at Nipa, and attempted to stare down Eila, but a powerful pulse of love gave way as she looked at her. Instead, Sanya turned away in disgust and marched out of the room grabbing her shirt, and only her shirt, before turning off into the hallway.  
"Sanya..." Eila raised her hand in the direction of the door pointlessly. Nipa sat quietly on the bed.  
"Illu... I'm sorry..." She mumbled. There was a flash of something in Eila's eyes, something Nipa had never seen before, and it hit her like a ton of bricks.   
"Just go to sleep." Eila stood up and looked longingly towards the door.   
"What about you?"   
"I'll sleep elsewhere. " Eila took a pillow from her bed and set off on her quest to find Sanya, and another sleeping spot.  
To say the least, she was unsuccessful.


	6. Chapter 6

"You just found her like this?"   
"Uh-huh."  
"Any idea how long she's been there?"   
"No... But she has her strikers on, so I'm guessing she's been out somewhere."  
"She was taken off night patrol for the week, though. I told her myself." Mio looked down at her silver haired subordinate, who was fast asleep in the middle of the hangar. Next to Sanya, her fliegerhammer lay in an untidy manner, and on her legs her black striker units were found. The Orussian had seemingly passed out unknowingly after a night flight. She has been discovered by Shirley and Lucchini the next morning. Shirley was going to run some tests with her engine and Lucchini just wanted to nap in one of her favourite spots, the rafters of the hangar.   
The twin tailed witch leaned over and touched Sanya, retaliating when she did so.  
"She's cold!" She squeaked. Shirley leant over and placed her hand over the smaller girls'.   
"You're right Lucchini. Major, we should probably get her inside and warm." Shirley commented, withdrawing her hand and allowing Mio to have a feel.   
"We'll get her strikers off, Lucchini you lend me your blanket." Mio gestured to the cloth waving in the wind.  
"Ehhhh?"   
"Just do it"  
While Lucchini went to retrieve her blanket, Mio spoke in a hushed voice to Shirley.  
"I think something went on between her and Eila. I found Eila passed out in the hallway, not far from her own room, clutching a pillow. I took her back to bed and told her to get some rest, she seemed in a bad way." Mio gently released Sanya's legs from the units.  
"I think she's running a fever," Shirley had her forehead pressed against Sanya's and was staring intensely at her. Sure enough, the Orussian had a soaring temperature and her breathing was uneven. Mio sighed.  
"Let's take her to the infirmary. OI! LUCCHINI! Get over here with that blanket!" Mio yelled. The mischievous witch skipped happily back to her superior, and handed her the blanket, which happened to be Francesca's favourite one, with her native country's flag proudly displayed in the corner.   
"Ehhh? Sanya-chan isn't waking up?" Lucchini said in disappointment.  
"She's just tired." Shirley smiled. The busty Liberion worked with Mio to bundle Sanya up in the blanket, nice and snug. Mio picked her up with both arms and took the duty off carrying her.  
"How come you came instead of Minna? I didn't think you had moved into her room yet?" Shirley asked.  
"I hadn't. But she was ill last night and fell asleep while I was carrying her, so I just stayed with her." Mio looked onwards, trying to brush off the conversation.  
"So why did you come? Not that I have a problem, just curious"   
"Minna was up a lot this morning with sickness, so I told her I would take care of whatever came up,"   
"Ehhhhh. Pregnancy seems like a problem. When is she going on maternity leave? Surely flying in her condition would be dangerous?" Shirley seemed genuinely interested in the topic, so Mio let the conversation flow.  
"There's actually a meeting planned with out superiors about it. Minna is one of the best commanders there is, so losing her is going to be a big loss to the Air Force." Mio shuffled Sanya so she rested more securely in her arms before adding,  
"Of course I'll be attending."   
"So who's going to be in charge of the wing?"   
"Well, we've asked for permission to promote Captain Barkhorn, so she is a high enough rank to command, but they might send down a replacement anyway."  
"That'll be a pain. I don't want a stranger telling me what to do."  
Mio dropped a sweat at the last comment by the Liberion witch; Shirley didn't like being told what to do anyway. The infirmary drew near and Shirkey tapped on the door smartly.   
"Come in!" A small voice answered.  
"Ah Lemare!" Mio greeted the shorter witch with a smile. "You're up early,"  
"I wanted to do some research on something, so I came here earlier. What's the problem?" Georgettes quick eyes rested on the patient in the Majors arms.  
Mio lay Sanya on a nearby bed, opposite to the one Minna usually used.  
"We found her in the hangar, we think she slept there last night," Shirley butted in.  
"She's really cold and we think she's running a fever."   
Georgette leaned over to get a better look. Sanya's cheeks were red and she twitched uncomfortably.  
"There's not a lot I can actually do for her, if it were wounds then it would be fine, but colds and fevers aren't easily fixed by magic. It's best we just treat her with normal medicines." Georgette pulled the covers back and slid Sanya underneath them, trying to warm her body up.  
"Maybe you could send somebody down to lie with her, body heat will keep her the warmest." Georgette suggested. The brunette leaned over and filled a shallow bucket with water. She dunked a cloth in it and placed it over Sanya's forehead, to bring down her fever a little.  
"Also, Major, I need to talk with Minna, can you just let her know to slip in at some point today? Thanks"   
"Well I'm heading off!" Shirley gave the two a cheery wave and slipped out of the infirmary wing, whistling a small tune to herself.  
"There's also something I want to talk to you about," Georgette sat on a little stool and pulled another up for Mio to sit on.  
"It's a big responsibility, being a mother. " Lemare started, " And Minna's body will be changing a lot in the course of the next few months, so you'll need to be prepared for what might come,"  
Mio blushed. This wasn't a conversation she thought she'd ever be having.  
"I have some leaflets, if you want to read through, but I'll explain the basics."  
Mio nodded.  
"You would have probably already noticed this, but her breasts have and will get bigger. Minna might not want you to touch them for a while because they will be sore, and if she does be really gentle. Eventually her breasts will produce milk for the baby."   
The first mention of Minna's breasts had kept Mio interested. She loved her girlfriends boobs.  
"Anyway, next there's the mood swings."

[MEANWHILE]

"Hey, Trude." Minna greeted her friend as the former entered the room. Minna was sat on her bed, in the middle of getting dressed. Her face was pale and her body was a little shaky.  
"How's it going?" Gertrud asked, leaning on the doorframe. Minna sighed.  
"The usual. A bit of sickness, I'm a little sore and tired. But other than that, it's going okay."   
"I see. When is your sickness going to stop?" Even though Trude knew it was natural, she couldn't help but worry about Minna's constant nausea.   
"Georgette told me around twelve to fourteen weeks... But as it stands I feel like it's never going to end..." Minna started to button up her shirt. Without saying a word, Gertrud strolled across the room and gave her a little help, Minna gratefully accepted.  
"How's your back?"   
"Sore, but getting better. Walking is still a problem but I'm getting there, Lemare has her doubts if I can fly again though," Minna looked down at her feet, avoiding eye contact.  
"I'm sure things will get better," Trude lied, biting her tongue over what she really wanted to say.  
"I'm not so sure. Mio's magic power is rapidly declining and there's nothing we can do about it, the wing is going to be left without a commander, I don't even know if they'll-"  
"Minna calm down. You've said all this before and we are sorting it. You just need to focus on your recovery. You have the meeting in a few days, which will give us an idea of what will happen to the wing. Everything is going to be fine." Trude wasn't sure if it was pregnancy hormones or not, but Minna had been really anxious and paranoid lately about the wing, and Mio. It was actually getting frustrating, but the brunette reminded herself that she needed to patient and kind to Minna.   
The redhead had listened carefully to her friends words, and they had seemingly calmed her a little, which helped Trude a lot.  
"I'll do your laces, so you don't have to bend," she leant forward and began to tie Minna's laces. "Leave your jacket off for a while. It won't do you any good carrying the extra weight around." Barkhorn picked the jacket from the bed and hung it on a coat hanger, then pushed it back into the wardrobe. Minna just sat and steadily watched Gertrud walk around, picking up this and that, putting things away.  
"It's fine Trude, just leave it all," she suggested.  
"You can't pick it up, and the Major is too busy to do it, so I will."   
Minna sighed and took a gaze out of the window from the corner of her eye. The skies seemed clear of clouds, witches and Neuroi, which was always nice.  
"It's a nice day," Trude hummed in response to Minna's statement, trying her hardest not to look at the dirty washing she was picking up off the floor. The brunette was bright red in the face and her eyes twitched uncomfortably. Minna glanced back at her friend and noticed her beet face. Minna turned red too when she saw what Trude was doing.  
"Ah... Just leave it Trude!! It's fine!" Minna cringed as the witch picked up a pair of her dirty pants, along with Mio's bathing suit. Gertrud dropped them into the basket and let out a shallow breath of relief.   
"Okay done" The room looked a little tidier at least. Laundry no longer littered the floor and everything just looked neater.  
"Thanks Trude, but you didn't have to..."   
"Ah. No problem" Gertrud smiled at her handy work and went and sat down next to Minna. For a while, neither girl said anything, until Minna broke the silence with a question.  
"Do you know where Mio is?" She asked, distracted.  
"I can't say I do..." Gertrud hesitated for a moment, deep in thought, "I passed her on my way here, she had Shirley with her and I think Shirley was talking about Sanya."   
"Oh..."  
Gertrud all of a sudden looked concerned at Minna's change in attitude "What's wrong? Anything I can help with?"   
Minna blushed.  
"N-not really... I don't think..."  
"Tell me what's wrong, and I can see what I can do."  
"But it's embarrassing!"  
"Sakamoto would be annoyed if I let you suffer without trying to help. Please Minna," Gertrud leant in and out her face close to Minna's, trying to pressure the truth out of her. Minna just tried to avoid eye contact at all costs, unfortunately her eyes seemed to lock down on the place she wanted to go. Gertrud turned when she noticed Minna's fixed gaze and saw her staring at the bathroom. She sighed and smiled sympathetically.   
"Ah it that it? Just go it's fine,"  
" I need help... My back..." Minna trailed off. Gertrud froze, her face turning red with embarrassment.   
"I guess it can't be helped," she muttered and leant over to support Minna.  
"Trude it's fine..." Minna tried to push her away but the brunette was persistent, so the redhead gave in and allowed herself to be helped. Once in the bathroom Trude sat Minna down on the toilet and turned her head away.  
"Go ahead." She said bluntly, a blush still infiltrating her face.   
"Trude there's..."

[LINEBREAK]

"I think that's enough for today, we've been talking for quite a while and I think we missed breakfast." Georgette glanced at the military clock on the wall. Mio followed her line of sight and saw the time,  
"Hahaha! I think you're right!" Mio chuckled and stood up, stretching her legs and back as she did so. The door slammed open, causing the two to jump, and Sanya to stir.  
"Sanya!" Eila dashed to her lovers side. The Suomi had been happily asleep in her room, not knowing of Sanya's condition, until Shirley had gone and banged on her door, rudely waking the Suomi. The Liberion had then told her about how she had found Sanya. Without waiting for Shirley to finish, Eila had raced out of her quarters immediately, leaving Nipa still asleep and her clothes on the floor.   
"Sanya! Wake up! I'm sorry!" Eila shouted at her lovers sleeping body. Sanya's breathing was still laboured and her face flushed red.  
"OI! Eila calm down!' Mio pulled the worried girl away from her girlfriend. Eila struggled against the major.  
"But Sanya-!"  
"She's going to be fine. She's a little sick that's all,' Georgette came up alongside the struggling witch to reassure her. Eila stopped thrashing around for a moment and took in what Lemare was saying.  
"But Shirley said-"  
Mio places her hand over Eila's mouth. "Shhh. Go and lie next to her for a bit. She's cold and I'm sure she needs you,"  
Eila was released and and slid into bed next to Sanya. Under the covers, Eila grasped her girlfriend's hand and briefly brought it to her lips for a kiss. Sanya opened her eyes a little.  
"Eila...?"   
"I'm sorry. Please forgive-" Eila's words were cut off and Sanya pulled her in close, and captured the other girls lips for herself.  
"Ah?! No kissing! You'll catch her flu!" Georgette exclaimed. The two pulled apart immediately, but were still joined by a trail of saliva.   
Georgette sighed, "Just get some some rest Sanya-San."   
Sanya yawned a little before snuggling into Eila's chest, and a pair of arms were wound around her hips.  
"You too Eila, you were in a rather bad state this morning." Mio gave a smile and took hold of the curtain, ready to pull it around so it gave Eila and Sanya some alone time, but almost immediately the door to the room was opened again. This time it was Gertrud, cradling Minna in her arms. Minna's eyes were wide, and Mio prickled with jealously as she saw somebody else holding her girlfriend. Minna's lower body was wrapped in a towel, rather tightly. Gertrud was out of breath.   
"Eh?? Minna?! What's wrong!" Mio took the redhead from Trude's arms and brought her to the bed. She tugged at the towel around Minna's waist frantically, her hands clumsy with worry. Minna looked away, embarrassed of her situation.  
"I'm...." Minna's voice was quiet and trailed off. Georgette approached the bed, and started to undress Minna.  
"Speak louder" Mio pressed.  
"I'm bleeding...down there..." Minna mumbled. Lemare stopped undoing the commanders buttons and stepped back.  
"Is that it?"  
Minna nodded.  
"You'll be fine! It's natural as long as there's not too much! You had me really worried for a second there!" Georgette chuckled. Mio frowned at her half dressed girlfriend and redid the buttons up.  
"Now that you're here, we can talk about how your body will change so we don't have a repeat of this," Georgette pushed the pillows to the headboard and patted them, inviting Minna to lie there. Mio assisted Minna in moving upwards on the bed, to a more comfortable position. Minna gave Mio a peck on the cheek with a smile.  
"Are you sure you're fine?" The majors eyes were laced with concern. Minna nodded.  
"Go and get something to eat, and do some training. We still have a few days before we are put back on full duty, and I want everybody up to scratch,"  
The grey eyes of Mio lightened up at the sound of training.   
"Hai! I'll be off then HAHAHA!" Mio walked off, laughing and grabbing Barkhorn by the collar on her way out.  
"Also Minna, I have this for you." Georgette held up a black piece of cloth. Minna tilted her head in confusion.  
"What's that? It seems familiar"   
"It's a corset, woven with magical fibres. Commander Rall has one to prevent her injuries from flaring up when fighting. I had one made for you. Even thought your injuries aren't are severe as hers were, you're going to be carrying round a baby for the next seven months, and it will help your back." Georgette handed it to Minna, who examined it with great interest.  
"Thank you. Will it help me walk better?"   
"Yes. You may have off days but for the majority it should help."  
Before the commander could open her mouth to say something else, a sneeze sounded from the bed opposite. Minna looked over in interest. To her surprise she saw Eila and Sanya curled up on the bed. She couldn't see much, as their bodies were covered, but she did notice Eila's bare shoulders protruding.  
"Lemare? Is there something she can have? Like a medicine?" Eila called, not moving from her position as it would disturb her adorable girlfriend who was snuggled into her.  
Georgette rummaged around in a cupboard for a second before pulling out a murky bottle with brown liquid inside.   
"There's this?"   
Eila snorted in disgust.  
"You can't give her that!"  
"Eila!" Minna turned to the healer. "Give her what's necessary, ignore Eila." Minna looked back at Eila.  
"I'll have you removed if you don't behave,"  
Eila just hugged Sanya tighter. Minna felt a twinge of jealously when she saw the two embracing each other. 

[LINEBREAK]

"EMERGENCY! Sound the alarm! Neuroi overhead!" The shout echoed through the corridors around the base. The switch was pulled and the awful earsplitting siren found its way to all witches on base. Footsteps clattered along the corridors and doors banged as the witches made their way to the hangar. Over in the infirmary, Eila rolled off the bed and gave Sanya a kiss.  
"I'll be right back," she grinned, before turning tail and sprinting from the room. Minna made an attempted to rise from her own bed, but she was greeted with firm hands.  
"Minna. I told you, flying is a no go." Georgette looked her firmly in the eyes. Minna glanced towards the door worriedly.  
"But Mio..."  
"She'll be fine, I need to go now. Stay here." Georgette ordered, before following Eila out the door. Minna sighed and threw herself back against the pillows. There was nothing worse than not knowing what was happening to your comrades while you were sat out of action. Minna clenched her fists anxiously as she looked at no spot in particular at the wall in front of her.  
'Please be safe Mio..." She whispered to herself.

[LINEBREAK]

"Perrine and Lemare, both of you remain here on standby! Hartmann, you're on radar duty. The rest of you come with me!" Mio shouted above the roar of the engines. The soldiers nodded in response and ran to take their positions.   
Mio called to her fellow Fuso witch "MIYAFUJI! You're my wingman, stay with me!"   
Everybody paired up, Shirley and Lucchini, Gertrud and Lynne, Eila and Nipa and readied themselves for flight.  
"Three, two one, TAKEOFF!"   
The eight witches called their familiars and focused their magic into their units, make the propellers spin faster and faster, while gathering the momentum to push off the ground. But all eight of them managed to rise into the sky without any trouble.  
"Don't go crashing now, Jinxed Katajainen." Eila teased Nipa. The cursed one stuck her bottom lip out and sneered at Eila jokingly. The Suomos girl had been given the nickname "Jinxed Katajainen" by Eila, because of the fact she failed to keep a single striker unit intact for no longer than a month in service. Nipa was lucky, as she rarely had any serious injuries following her regular crashes, but she was still teased by Eila to no end.  
"ehhhh? Illu, don't be mean" she huffed.  
"OYyy, start concentrating Sumos girls!" Barkhorn shouted to them. Eila stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes.  
Mio lifted her patch "Target in sight! Engage enemy in ABC formation!"   
"Roger!"  
The Neuroi shot towards the group, Eila and Nipa veered off to the side along with Shirley and Lucchini, while the others moved upwards.  
"Nipa, cover me while I go in!" Eila called.   
"Hai!" Nipa drew back and angled her strikers so that she could hover in one spot while she threw up cover fire for Juutilainen. Around her and in front of her the battle was raging. Miyafuji was using her shield to protect Sakamoto from beams while the latter searched for the core. Lynne was keeping the Neuroi in place by firing her powerful shots around it whenever it tired to escape the circle of witches. Barkhorn was going at it like always, zooming in, emptying her magazine, shooting out, around, reload and repeat. Nipa had been interested to see the fighting techniques of the 501st, as things were slightly different with the 502nd. Of course Eila's fighting style wasn't new to her, they'd been friends since their cadet days, and it was comforting to see some form of Suomos style. Eila was moving a lot smoother than the other witches, her ability to see into the future gave her a great advantage in fights and allowed her to be at ease when flying.  
"I found the core! It's near the back wings! Right in between them!" Mio shouted and drew her sword.  
"This ones mine! Throw me Shirley!" Lucchini squealed in excitement. It had been a while, since the twelve year old had shot down an enemy, so today was her lucky day as she was in the perfect position.  
"Yes, sure," Shirley grabbed Francesca by an arm and her left striker and began to spin round. And while the others were keeping the Neuroi's beams at bay, the busty Liberion threw Lucchini. The young girl built up her barricade of shields whilst flying through the air and within seconds she burst through the outer shell of the Neuroi, and went straight through the core. The beast shattered into millions of tiny shimmering pieces. But it was because of these tiny shimmering pieces, that Lucchini lost all sense of direction and crashed head on into the unsuspecting Nipa. The two girls banged heads, causing immediate unconsciousness for the both of them, and their propellers slowed down.  
"Aha! Good one Lucchini!" Shirkey called to her little friend.   
"Eh? Lucchini?" Shirley stopped for a moment as no response came from the Romagian. Shirley squinted her eyes through the shattered Neuroi. To her horror, the small girl was falling.  
"LUCCHINI!!" She yelled, and sped up after her. The rest of the witches noticed the sudden change in attitude of the Liberion, and gasped as not one, but two bodies fell.  
As a flash of blue evaded Eila's gaze, a moment of realisation hit her "Nipa!" She too started to chase after the falling witches. Shirley focused all her magic into trying to catch Lucchini. With a growl she increased her striker speed to full. She yelled in an attempt to wake her friend. It didn't work. Francesca's black twintails were whipping back and to in the wind. Shirley reached her hand out in front of her, Lucchini was almost in reach. Her fingers were just brushing the white jacket of her friend. Shirley let out a scream and thrust herself forward. She was there. Shirley grabbed Francesca's arms and pulled her close into her chest. Just before she hit the ground, she pulled up slightly and hovered just above the ground. Shirley cradled the unconscious girl in her arms.  
Shirley pushed the black hair of her friends' face "Lucchini! LUCCHINI! Hang in there!"   
"YEAGER! WATCH OUT!"  
Shirley looked up, the sun was blotted out by something coming towards her. For the first time in her life, she couldn't react fast enough, and the next thing she knew, she was unconscious.

[LINEBREAK]

The infirmary was rather full. Not just with visitors, all four beds were occupied with patients, each with their own visitors. Sanya was still in her bed and by her side Eila was sat, stroking Sanya's silver hair with the Orussian slept. In the bed opposite, Shirley now lay instead of Minna, despite Georgette's persuasions, the commander had given up her bed for the casualties that had just come in.  
Next to Shirley, Gertrud was sat on a stool, she had her eyes closed, but her mouth was still drawn into a line and her posture was perfect, nothing less of what you should expect of a Karlsland solider, Erica was next to Trude, clearly asleep, drool and everything. Shirley herself had been undressed, and was sleeping not-so soundlessly. She had stirred a lot since been placed in the bed, and instead of being in a solider position, she was now spread out like a starfish.   
Trude had been the one to carry Shirley back, mainly because of the extra weight of the Liberion's chest made her too heavy for anyone else to take, so the strict Karlslandian had been stuck with the job. When Nipa had fallen onto Shirley, the impact and her loss of magic caused the busty witch to lose consciousness and collapse on the floor. After no obvious wounds could be seen on any of them, Miyafuji had given them the all clear to be moved, and so they were brought back to base.   
Mio had radioed for Lemare and Perrine to come and help bringing them back. Yoshika and Lynne took Lucchini, for she was the lightest of the three. While Eila struggled with Nipa by herself until the help arrived. Mio kept her eyes open for the Neuroi and led the way. Three was the most casualties they had taken home in a while. Upon arriving they had been rushed to the infirmary.  
Surprisingly, there were little signs of injuries of any of them. Lucchini and Nipa would have sore heads and may not wake up for a while, but Shirley was just a little bruised and drained of magic.   
Yoshika and Lynne had decided to sit with Lucchini. Lynne had carefully untied her twintails and undressed Lucchini while Yoshika had done checks on the younger girls health. Everything seemed to be in check.   
Lemare was sat with Nipa, and Eila would wonder over for a few minutes before straying back to Sanya. Perrine had gone to make some tea for everyone. Mio and Minna were sat in the corner. Minna had craved intimacy since the second Mio was back on base. The redhead had been worried the entire duration of the sortie, in case Mio didn't come back, and now was clingy as hell.   
"Minna, let me go and help Perrine with the-"  
"No."  
"I just-"  
"No."  
Minna wasn't giving in anytime soon, so Mio gave up and leant back on the wall. Minna leaned onto Mio and buried herself in the fusan's chest. Mio stroked her girlfriend happily, at the same time wishing Minna would release her from her grip of death.   
"Nipa!" Georgette exclaimed. Eila almost fell over and she scrambled up from her chair behind Lemare, where she was sat with Sanya. Nipa sat straight up in bed, and everyone swarmed around, bar Erica, who was snoring on the opposite side of the infirmary.  
"Uhh?? Georgette?" She snorted half asleep. "What happened?"   
Georgette fumbled trying to get Nipa to lie down. "Eek! Lie down first! You'll get dizzy!"   
Reluctantly, Nipa lay back down and pulled the duvet back up, as she was naked.  
"You collided with Ensign Francesca Lucchini over there." Georgette gestured to the sleeping girl.  
"Ah."  
"You need to lose weight! You're so heavy!" Eila poked her best friend in the arm.  
"Excuse me??"   
"I had to carry you most of the way back! It's all this extra weight on your chest I reckon!" Eila lunged forward and grabbed Nipa's bare chest.   
"Ahhh!!!!! Illuuuuuuuu stopppppp!" Nipa groaned as Eila groped her. Everybody dropped a sweat as Eila continued to fondle the breasts of her friend. Eventually Eila freed the struggling girl and stuck her tongue out.   
"I brought the tea!" Heads turned towards the door as a tray was wheeled in by Perrine. Originally, she was going to go with chamomile tea, but went against it and chose the majors favourite, Green Tea.   
"My favourite! Thank you, Perrine!" Mio gave Perrine a pat on the head. Perrine blushed slightly and continued to hand out the tea.  
"Bring me another four eyes!" Eila ordered, jokingly using her nickname for Perrine, she wanted to save some for Sanya. But said four eyes didn't get the joke, or find it funny at all. Perrine scowled at the Suomi girl. She was just so rude, Perrine thought to herself. Perrine hadn't been in a good mood lately at all. Her temper was short and her mood swings were nasty. She was mainly upset, the news about Minna's pregnancy has really hurt her. She really loved Mio, and she had even been trying to forget about Minna for the moment, but she knew in the end she would have to face reality.  
Perrine snapped.  
"Come and get it yourself, dyke." She sneered. Eila leapt up from her chair.  
"What did you just call me?" Her eyes were burning.  
"A dyke. Because that's what you are." Perrine didn't even know why the words left her lips. She was having another mood swing, and it made her speak her thoughts quite vividly.  
"You BITCH!" Eila lunged at Perrine and grabbed her by the hair. She started to yank it around and slap Perrines face.  
"Hey, OY PERRINE! EILA!" Mio jumped up, to split the fight up. Gertrud went to grab Eila but the two were rolling around so much it was next to impossible to catch them. Sanya was sat up on her bed, her eyes wide as she saw her girlfriend fighting.  
"Eila...!" She cried out. The infirmary was in uproar. It was surprising how Shirley and Lucchini managed to actually sleep through it all. Lynne was clearly scared, hanging onto Yoshika in the corner. Minna was starting to panic, her pregnancy hormones were making her moods strange and things became a lot more confusing to her. Erica noticed Minna's distressed state and made her way over to her immediately. Georgette was trying to get Nipa to stay in her bed.  
Even though she had her ability, Eila was too wound up to see into the future. Instead she thrashed around with Perrine, pulling chunks of each others hair out. Eila landed one hit right on Perrines nose, knocking her glasses straight off. The glasses slid across the floor, lenses smashed.  
It was then that Barkhorn saw an opening. She dived in and split them apart with ease. Mio grabbed Perrine the instant she was released from Eila's grasp and twisted her arm behind her back and pressed her to the floor. Perrine gasped as the pain seared through her shoulder and stopped her struggle, Eila however was much more difficult to deal with.  
"Let me go!" Gertrud had both of Eila's arms behind her back and was straddling the suomi's waist. To prevent Eila's leg from thrashing around, Gertrud used her feet to hold them in place at the top of Eila's thighs.  
"Juutilainen! Stop it!" Eila ignored Mio's command and continued to scream and thrash.  
"THAT STUCK UP SNOTTY BITCH!"  
Eila was suddenly silenced, as a pair of lips captivated her own. Sanya kissed her girlfriend with all her might. She even added a little tongue to it, hoping it was unseen to everybody else in the room. It proved to be effective, as Eila went limp, and Sanya lowered her head to the floor. Gertrud was blushing, having seen such an intense kiss as such a close range.  
"Thank you Litvyak" Trude mumbled.  
"Both of you will be facing disciplinary actions for your behaviour. You're both on house arrest until I find a suitable punishment for such disgraceful actions, you are only allowed out of your room for unavoidable medical conditions, and to use the toilet." Mio rushed the last sentence, for she was noticing a change in Minna's behaviour, and wanted to check up on her.   
"Barkhorn, take Eila to her room. Erica take Perrine for me please" Mio released Perrine from her grasp and Erica led her away. Eila was a little more difficult. She wanted to say goodbye to Sanya, but Gertrud wasn't allowing it, so Eila left the room with a very lost look on her face.   
"Lynnette-San, Miyafuji-San, would you mind watching over these four, please?" Georgette asked, moving across towards Minna. The redhead had laboured breathing and her pupils were large. Minna was pale, but clammy and sweating. Mio was holding onto her hand, trying to calm her. Erica was soothing her back.  
"Yes, Lemare-San!" The duo went and assisted Sanya getting back into bed, before doing rounds on the other three.  
"Minna, breathe for me." Georgette said, her voice was calm and soothing. "In, out. Don't lose the rhythm"   
Minna's struggled gasps became slightly slower, and definitely less stressed.  
"That's good Minna!" Mio praised her. Erica didn't really know what to do, do she continued to rub Minna's back, being careful to avoid her scar.  
After a few minutes, her breathing calmed down, and she seemed settled. Mio wrapped her arm around Minna and pulled her in close.   
"Thank you Lemare." Mio smiled at the medic.  
"I didn't do anything. It was you two, comforting her. It's still early, but maybe you should take Minna to bed and let her sleep a while, then wake her up for dinner ." Georgette suggested.  
"I've still got things to do... And she won't want to be alone..." Mio sighed and shook her head.  
Erica spoke up, "I'll sit with her if you want,"  
"Eh? Really?"  
"Sure. I've known Minna a long time" Erica mainly just wanted to sleep a little, but by comforting her friend at the same time wasn't a bad idea though.  
"Okay then. Can you manage her?"   
Erica spun around and motioned for Mio to let her piggyback Minna. Mio lifted her girlfriend carefully onto the Karlslandians back. Erica saluted Mio playfully and left the room. Mio called to Lynne and Yoshika.  
"Miyafuji, Bishop! I want you two to start making dinner, put some aside for Perrine and Eila, as well as these four."  
"Three!" Nipa called out. "I'm completely fine and I can make it to dinner."  
"Hmm? Are you sure? Lemare what do you think?"  
Georgette chuckled and shrugged, "If she says she's fine, she's fine. It's very rare for Nipa to be injured badly, and she would admit to it anyway, so she's fine."   
"Alright then. Put three aside on trays please." Mio nodded at the two friends and they saluted her in return.  
"Yes, Sakamoto-San!"  
"That's what I like to hear! Get moving!"


	7. Chapter 7

"So you're finally awake Liberion," Gertrud sighed, in her hands a tray of food was held, it was still slightly warm. Shirley blinked a couple of times before sitting up in bed. Her body was heavy and she felt a little out of it.  
"How long have I been asleep?" She asked.  
"Only a few hours. Nipa is already awake and out of here. But I suppose a lazy solider like yourself would want to sleep a while longer." Gertrud sighed. Shirley pulled her pillows up a little higher so she could sit up comfortably. Her eyes widened as memories entered her mind.  
"Ah Lucchini!" The busty teen jumped up from her bed, naked as a jaybird. Gertrud began to blush uncontrollably and almost dropped the tray while trying to cover her eyes.  
"L-l-l-l-l-l-l-Liberion!!! Put someone on for the love of Karlsland!" She shrieked. Shirley paid her no attention and ran to Lucchini's bed.  
"Lucchini? Lucchini!!! Wake up!" Shirley almost slapped the girl, but her arm was gripped tightly.  
"Get back into bed, and cover yourself!" Gertrud started steering Shirley round and back to the bed, and she heard a small voice.  
"Onee-chan?" Gertrud froze.  
It happened again.  
"It's not fair! Onee-chan gets to touch everyone except me!"   
Gertrud turned around, whipping her neck so hard Shirley thought it would actually snap.  
Lucchini was sat up in bed, smiling innocently.  
"Stop playing with me!" Gertrud ordered, raising her voice. The smile disappeared of Lucchini's face and tears welled up in her eyes.  
"O-onee-chan is being mean!" Francesca started bawling. Gertrud's heart skipped a beat when the small girl looked at her through the gaps in her fingers. Cautiously, as if she was expecting Lucchini to prank her any moment, she crept forward. A little too far forward. Lucchini leaned over and attached herself to the waist of Gertrud.  
"W-what is this?" Gertrud looked over at Shirley who was just enjoying the show.  
"She's your little sister," Shirley grinned, showing all of her teeth. Despite being stood their naked, she didn't have a care in the world. Apart from the fact her best friend seemed slightly amnesic, but that made for a good laugh about Barkhorn.  
"Little... Sister..." With those words, the proud Captain Barkhorn fainted, blood flowing from her nose.

[LINEBREAK]

"Oho... Who's the lazy one now, Captain?" Shirley grinned down at the captain, her eyes sparked with mischief. Sluggishly the brunette sat up, and rubbed her head. Gertrud had been half dragged half carried back to her room by Shirley, Georgette had wanted to keep the infirmary as empty as possible, as Sanya wanted to sleep. Shirley had been discharged, for she was just bruised. Even in her state, Gertrud frowned at the mess Erica's side was in. The Karlslandian breathed in through her nose, only to discover that her nostrils had been stuffed with tissue, not the usual sandpaper kind that would be found in the toilets, actual soft tissue. A cloth was on her forehead, wetting her bangs slightly. Her clothes were also missing.  
"Urgh.... What happened?" Gertrud asked, not particularly wanting to know the answer.  
"Your complex kicked in when you were called 'onee-chan'" Shirley explained, her teasing grin growing wider by the minute as the Karlslandian was trying to make sense of her own confusion. It took a moment to realise that the Liberion had insulted her.  
"I DO NOT have a complex," Gertrud huffed, looking away to hide her blush. Shirley leaned over further to try and get a glimpse.   
"She's not even little sister material, how could she even call me onee-chan?"   
"Awww! Of course she's little sister material! Lucchini is adorable!" Shirley giggled before continuing,  
"And besides, she's amnesiac."  
Gertrud turned back around, her eyebrows raised in surprise.  
"Yeah. It's weird. Georgette wanted to keep her in a little longer to try and heal her, but healing powers don't work on amnesia..." The busty teen was thoughtful for a second.  
"She doesn't remember much at all... She's not even grabbed my boobs once whilst being awake, not once!"   
Gertrud thought back to the time her chest had been grabbed by the young girl. It was a strange sensation, but Lucchini certainly knew where to touch. At the time Gertrud had been frozen in panic, but since then she had not let her guard down around Lucchini. The Karlslandian shook her head to clear her thoughts.  
"Whatever then..."   
For a few minutes, the two sat in silence, each thinking about different things, wanting to ask different questions, but neither knowing where to start. So it got awkward.  
"... Isn't Georgette supposed to be leaving soon? And that striker smasher... Katajainen?" Shirley asked, thinking Gertrud would know the answer.  
"I think so. She's been here long enough... And apparently they predicted that Katajainen would break her unit, so they sent a spare out for her..." Gertrud lay back down, but continued the conversation, closing her eyes slightly. "Georgette is a good healer... I can't believe what she's done for Minna..."  
Shirley interrupted, causing Barkhorn to open a single eye and give her a dirty look, "Yeah, she's been taking Miyafuji through some important things too."   
Gertrud's mind ran into a daze about her 'little sister', Miyafuji Yoshika. Shirley frowned slightly as she saw Gertrud's smile.  
"Miyafuji came to visit you too. She left not long ago actually."  
"Ahh... She's sweet like that...."  
Shirley pulled on Gertrud's cheek, jerking the witch from her peaceful resting position.  
"You need to keep that complex under control!"  
"Eh! I don't have a complex!" Gertrud reached up and took hold of the side of Shirley's face. The two stared each other in the eyes for a minute, growling slightly.  
"Am I interrupting something?" Minna poked her head round the door. Shirley dropped her merciless teasing and Gertrud released the face of her fellow witch.  
"Of course not Minna..." Gertrud looked away slightly, averting her gaze to the corner of the doorframe. Minna raised her eyebrows knowingly, but didn't make a remark. Things became a little awkward though when nothing was said, so Minna decided to state the purpose of her visit.  
"I know this is a little sudden and all, but the meeting scheduled with my superiors was pushed forward, and I was only just informed today."   
Gertrud sat up, looking slightly alert, frowning as she asked her question,  
"When are you leaving?"   
"Tonight. They are sending a plane as we speak, and the meeting is taking place tomorrow." Minna frowned and stepped fully inside the room, closing the door behind her.   
"I understand that the wing is a little unstable right now, as there is two unwell and two on house arrest, but I need you two to keep everything in order."   
Before Minna had even finished her sentence fully, Barkhorn climbed out of her bed and began to dress herself. Her clothes had been draped over her chair in a tidy-ish fashion. Not wanting to keep Minna from talking, Barkhorn nodded for her to continue.  
"There have been no Neuroi warnings for these few days, so you should be okay battle-wise, but it's the emotional status of the group in worried about. Especially after what has happened to Lucchini, as well as what went on between Eila and Perrine."   
Shirley had heard off Yoshika what had gone on between the two, and had been surprised greatly. Perrine was not one for embarrassing herself like that, and it took a lot to actually break Eila. Shirley took a peek at how Trude was doing with dressing, and it appeared that the Karlslandian was fully dressed and prepared for duty. Well almost, she was just pulling on her panties.  
"Anyway, that's what's going on, the others have already been informed and Mio is currently telling Perrine, and I presume she's going to do Eila too. I'll see you when we depart." Minna left the room in a hurry, not leaving time for questions or requests. Shirley scratched her head in confusion and then shrugged.  
"Hm. Well Captain Discipline, we should probably-" Shirley turned around to see Gertrud had gone. Confused as to how the latter had disappeared without so much as a sound, the former checked under the bed real quick.   
"Eh?" Shirley spun round again, and the door slammed shut, signalling that the Karlslandian had already taken off.   
"What a bother..."Shirley sighed and stretched her arms out, breathing in relief as she refreshed her bruised joints.   
"Ah well. She'll come back sooner or later." Shirley flicked the light off and left the room.

[LINEBREAK]

The planes propellers roared as two figures walked towards it on the runway. The engine buzzing was a normal sound to the two witches, but that didn't make it any less intimidating. On the other end of the runway, a group was gathered ready to wave the Major and her girlfriend off. As they walked, Minna gripped onto Mio's arm a little tighter than intended, but the fusan didn't say a word and actually enjoyed Minna's more vulnerable side. The only ones that weren't there to wave, were Eila and Perrine, for they were on house arrest and whether they wanted to or not they had to stay in their rooms. Even Sanya had wrapped herself up in her coat and scarf and come out to wave the duo off.   
When Gertrud had disappeared from her room earlier, she had chased after Minna and questioned her about the meeting. Minna didn't have many answers to give, but that made the brunette worry about her commander more.   
Ever since Minna had been shot down, Gertrud had been extremely over protective. Too overprotective. She worried constantly about Minna's health and made sure she did the exercises Georgette had set for her.  
This meeting with the superiors had been on Gertrud's mind for as long as she had known about Minna's pregnancy. She didn't want her best friend, and commander, to leave the 501st, especially not permanently. Maternity leave, Gertrud could understand, but deep in the back of the brunette's mind, she knew Minna wouldn't return to the military after having her child. It's not that the redhead wouldn't want to give up raising her child to fight if it meant the child would be safe, it was the fact she wouldn't be strong enough. There had been reports of giving birth wrecking havoc on witches bodies, even slightly younger witches (16-17 years), who had a good four years left in service, had lost all aspect of magic power since having a child. So that was why it was a general rule for Witches to not have boyfriends, but as Mio was indeed female, she was an exception.

Once they had approached the plane, Mio stood to the side and gave Minna a lift up. On a normal day, Minna would have given Mio dirty looks and ordered her to stop, as she wasn't helpless. But even though she was wearing her corset underneath her uniform jacket, her back was still dodgy and Minna was feel especially vulnerable. When Mio turned to take one last look at the base before she left, she noticed a face in one of the windows. The slight reflection of light off a pair of broken glasses, informed Mio that it was Perrine. After the talk Mio had given her, Perrine had perked up a little. She was still a bit upset and hurt, but she was better and had even said she'd apologise to Eila. Eila's room on the other hand had the curtains closed, which wasn't unusual for she shared with Sanya, who was of course a night witch, but Mio still felt a little disappointed she was still sulking in there.  
The fusan gave her comrades one last wave and clambered aboard the buzzing plane. It was a lot nicer than most military planes that were sent out. Instead of the hard wooden benches it had been equipped with actual seats with proper material covers and everything. The floor had some kind of covering on it, covering the usual plain metal that was hard and cold to walk on. In general it was a lot more pleasant to sit and ride in. But one thing that bothered Mio was the lack of windows, making the area they were in feel like a box. There was a small window by on of the seats, and one more on the door they had entered through, but that was pretty much it. The room was brightly lit, so lighting wasn't a problem, it was just the fact Mio couldn't see the base as they flew off, nor their comrades.  
For most of the journey, Mio sat by the window, with a Minna sat next to her, resting her head on Mio's shoulder. The warmth that Minna's head emitted was smoothing for the Fuso witch and let her clear her mind for a while.

[LINEBREAK]

"Minna-dietlinde Wilcke, Commander of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing" Minna announced her presence with a salute to the three people sat in front of her. One was a doctor, who was very well versed in a witches body having studied them and their magical power for years, despite not being a able to be a witch herself. On the far left was a figure Minna had met once before when trying to get the 501st back together after the warlock incident, Adolfine Galland. Even though the Karlslandian was already 21 and didn't even have enough magic to fly, Adolfine had a massive impact on the Karlsland Military forces, being a main general. Galland was sat there with a slightly amused look on her face, and her gaze seemed to be focused on Mio.  
"Major Sakamoto Mio of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing!" Mio said broadly, her voice loud and clear. Minna cringed slightly as Mio said her name in the Fuso way, instead of the western way.  
In between the female doctor and Adolfine, a man was sat. He was clearly an older man, as grey hair peeked out from under his hat, and his face looked as thought it was set in stone. He didn't look too impressed at what was stood in front of him. With a stern look, he shuffled through the papers in front of him.  
"Commander Wilcke, Major Sakamoto, you are clear of what rules you have breached for the conception of this child, yes?" He began. Mio hesitated before answering.  
"Sir, we have right to believe we have not breached any rules. The handbook states sexual relationships with men are forbidden, it had nothing on sexual relationships with other witches." Minna stated, taking the words from Mio's head and speaking them out loud. The man looked surprised, as if he had expected them to answer with a sharp yes to his previous question.   
"They aren't wrong" Adolfine interrupted, a small smirk on her face. The man glared at the Karlslandian General before continuing.  
"Normally we would request you to get an abortion, but since you're here we can make a deal," A sly smile was infiltrating the old man's face, wrinkling all his skin, "We will let you give birth and raise this child, in return you have to give it up to the military when it turns ten years of age," he finished.   
"Is that all, sir?" Mio asked sharply, wanting to be free from the room's dreadful aura as soon as possible.  
"Commander Wilcke, we still expect you to manage the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, until your maternity leave at 25 weeks, however we forbid you fly on your own magic power until you have given birth," At last the doctor spoke. He had a deep calming tone to his voice. Neither Mio nor Minna was surprised at the fact the latter was still to command the unit with flying restrictions.   
"And Major Sakamoto," The man continued on, " We have been informed that your magic power is nearing its peak,"   
Mio tensed up; she was still not ready to stop fighting. Minna gave her a sideways glance, hoping it would warn the major to keep her cool  
"Normally we would get the second highest ranking officer to take command of the unit at a time like this, but because of your age, we are going to disband the 501st,"   
"What?!" Minna almost shouted.  
"We were putting Captain Barkhorn down for a promotion, surely she could command the unit?" Mio put in, trying not to sound too rude and angry,  
"Unfortunately for you, the decision has already been made. When you are off on your maternity leave, the others will be transferred to different bases,"   
Next to the old man, Adolfine looked grim. Even though she was one of the most influential Generals of the Karlslandian army, this was the one man in charge of everything, and not even she could overrule his authority.  
Minna had lost all ability to speak. She couldn't believe what was happening, even though it wasn't the worst possible case scenario, it was almost there. Mio as growing rather red in the face, biting her tongue, trying not to blurt out what she thought of their plans. Instead of snapping, Mio clicked her feet together and saluted the three at the table, before marching out to cool herself down. Minna stood awkwardly for a second, not knowing what to say, until the man spoke up.  
"The paperwork is here, and you are expected to inform your unit of the situation, when and where they are going, understand Commander Wilcke?"  
Minna nodded dumbly and responded with a weak "yes sir" before collecting the papers from the old man. She then left the room, unsure of what to do.

[LINEBREAK]

Mio sat by the window, looking outside at the rain pouring down. It drizzled miserably down the window, and the winds howled outside the base. Even though the thunder was rumbling and lightning was flashing, the base still stood sturdy in the storm. Minna and Mio were sat on a soft chair together, watching and listening the raging storm around the base. Minna was leant on Mio's shoulder with her eyes closed, just listening to the racket outside. Mio on the other hand was staring out the window, look gormless. One hand was snaked around Minna's shoulders, pulling her closer, and the other rested comfortably in her lap. The two could almost hear each other's thoughts. They were mainly thinking about the same thing; The 501st. Or rather, the disbanding of them. Like lead balls, the man's choice weighed on Minna and Mio.   
Mio was trying to play calm, and pretending her rage earlier never happened, at the same time as emotionally stabling Minna.   
The two jumped when another entered the room. Adolfine Galland smiled wearily at the two. Neither Mio nor Minna smiled back.  
"The plane can't fly in this, you can stay here for the night," she offered casually, almost sounding apologetic about the disbanding of the 501st. Mio looked down at Minna, who was feeling down about what had been said in the meeting. Deciding it was for the best, Mio accepted.   
"Minna," Mio said softly. The red haired commander looked up, "I'll go and call the base and inform them that we will not be returning until tomorrow."   
Minna nodded, and Mio stood up gently.  
"Where are the phones or radios?" Mio asked Adolfine.   
" I'll show you, how about both come with me so, afterwards I can take you to your room," Adolfine said. Mio offered Minna a hand and the commander accepted, allowing her girlfriend to help her up. Arm in arm, they followed Galland out of the room, and down the long hallways.   
Minna examined the walls closed around her. What was unusual about the base, was that the long halls were lightly decorated with pictures. Most of which were witches who had previously been stationed at the base, but one picture caught her eye. The picture was Adolfine, but she looked younger, possibly fifteen? Sixteen? Minna wasn't sure, but the girl beside her in the picture looked about the same age. Surprisingly, General Galland was actually smiling in the picture, and had her arm round the shoulders of the other girl, who appeared slightly shorter. Minna stopped walking to get a better look, causing a chain reaction for all of them to stop.  
"Minna?" Mio asked, tenderly touching her lovers arm.  
"Who's that?" Minna pointed to the girl in the picture. Adolfine moved closer to get a better look, but stopped when she saw the photo.   
"Just a witch I used to work with," Adolfine looked away, her voice wavering slightly. The other girl certainly didn't look like 'just' another witch. She seemed to have a ever close bond with the General. She was smiling cheerfully at the camera, but both of her arms were wound round Adolfine's waist, embracing her tightly. Adolfine herself looked pretty happy, and was looking down slightly at the girl around her waist.  
"What happened to her?" Mio asked carefully, treading in dangerous water. But the answer Adolfine gave wasn't bitter nor angry, just sad.  
"She was shot down over Gallian waters four years ago,"   
"You must miss her." The words just slipped out of Minna's mouth, and it was too late to take them back. Minna held her breath, but Galland simply looked away.  
"Let's go," she muttered. 

[LINEBREAK]

"Ehhh??! What do you mean Sakamoto-San?" Yoshika almost shouted into the bulky phone.  
"What wrong Yoshika-chan?" Lynne leaned over and tried to listen in on the phone conversation. Yoshika placed her hand over the receiver and relayed the message to the older girl. Yoshika took her hand off and continued the conversation.   
"Yes. Yes Sakamoto-San. Yes I'll tell her,"   
Lynne listened intently to Yoshika's answers and tried to make out what she was talking about. When Yoshika put the phone down, she turned to Lynne grimly.  
"So Sakamoto-San and Commander Minna aren't coming home tonight?" Lynne asked.  
"It appears not. The storm is too much, so they are staying out at the General's base,"  
"The General? You mean THE General Galland?!"  
"I think that's who they said." Yoshika trailed off.  
"Let's go and tell the others," Lynne suggested. Yoshika nodded enthusiastically.

[LINEBREAK]

"It's a little awkward like this," Minna stated, removing Mio's hand from her shoulder. The couple were lay face to face in the small bed, each afraid of moving out of fear of pushing the other out. As they hadn't planned on staying the night, they had nothing to wear to sleep in, thus them being stark naked in the bed together. They hadn't packed any sleeping clothes for the journey there, as they would be flying the whole time and it would simply be inconvenient to change, so they had just slept in their clothes on the plane. Minna was blushing heavily as she could feel Mio's breath against her ever so slightly.   
"You're right." Mio shuffled around in the bed a little, pulling the covers off Minna.   
"Wait a second. Just let me turn over," While Minna fumbled around in the bed for a moment, trying to get comfy, an idea sprang to Mio's mind. Once Minna had stopped moving, she pressed herself tightly against her girlfriends back, earning a surprised squeak from Minna. The blush that had littered Minna's face was back and stronger than ever as the redhead could feel her lovers large breasts against her bare skin.  
"Is this better?" Mio asked innocently.   
"It is. Put your arms back around me." Minna ordered playfully, enjoying the feel of Mio's warm body.  
Minna started to space out a little, "I wonder if Sanya and Eila do this..."   
"Huh? It wouldn't surprise me. Those two are as close as ever." Mio chuckled, but inside she felt a little guilty about the fact she had banned Eila from leaving her room, and therefore it meant Sanya could not enter.   
"We will just have to watch and make sure they don't get carried away though..." Minna muttered softly. "We can't have this happening to them."   
Even though she didn't specify what 'this' was, Mio already knew Minna was talking about their unborn child.   
"They aren't of age yet though,"   
"I know that. But Sanya especially seems to have matured a lot in the time she has been in the 501st," Minna had a small flashback of the timid girl who had the presence of a ghost when she had first joined them. Sanya was still very quiet, but she was a lot more social than when she first joined.   
"So you've noticed too?" Mio snuggled into Minna's back a little more, trying to gain more of her lovers warmth, "I thought it was just me."  
"Maybe Eila's influence?" Minna suggested.  
Mio had a thoughtful moment, before throwing her idea in. "I don't think so. Eila tries so hard to protect Sanya from receiving Lucchini's 'treatment' and keeps her mind pure."   
"Yeah. You're probably right. It'll just be the atmosphere we work in. As witches we are expected to protect the world, and we are expected to grow up quick and learn the rules."  
"Ah but we have to slow down a little when we get near twenty!" Mio said, reminding herself of her own declining magic power.   
"Mm. Actually, going back to the subject of Sanya's purity, I have caught her reading certain books from the shelf."  
"Our shelf?"  
"Well you know it's not just ours,"  
"She's a little young for all that though isn't she? It's pretty hardcore..."  
"Oh! Not those ones!" Minna tried to avert her mind from the collection of smutty books kept on the top shelf of the bookcase. It was one shelf her and Mio were pretty familiar with. Minna was sure most of the older witches occasionally borrowed a book or two from there if they were in heat and needed to relieve some tension.The others would gradually learn of the shelf as they grew up a little more.  
"I meant the ones about relationships between witches, witch pregnancy and all that." Minna stuttered.  
"So she's being careful at least," Mio whispered into Minna's ear, sending a shudder down the Karlslandian's spine.  
"Do you think Eila and Sanya are already doing it?"   
Minna almost choked on her own breath when Mio asked the question. Normally Mio would never think or imply something like that, but when the couple were alone, a different side of Mio would come out.  
"T-this is hardly an appropriate conversation to be having about our subordinates!" Minna stammered.  
Mio fell silent.  
"... But do you?"  
"If it really matters, then yes I think they are."   
"What makes you think that?"   
Minna sighed. "I don't know."  
"Is it something to do with their makeout sessions in the hangar when Sanya's setting off for patrol? Or maybe how close they get while showering- huh? Minna?" Mio stopped talking when she noticed the change in Minna's breathing. The Fusan realised that her lover was sleeping.  
"Ah. Good Night, Minna."   
Leaning over slightly, Mio planted a light kiss on Minna's cheek.  
"I love you."


	8. Chapter 8

"Surprise!"  
Bewildered, Minna and Mio stood in the entrance to the mess hall as their subordinates threw confetti and blew small horns. The hall was lightly decorated, a few small balloons here and there, paper chains, banners...  
"What is this?" Minna stuttered.  
"It's a party. A surprise one!" Yoshika exclaimed, throwing her arms out in wild directions.  
"But... Why?"  
"Because you need it Minna." Gertrud put her hand on her friend's shoulder and smiled sweetly. Well as sweetly as she could anyway. Food, mostly Karlslanian and Fusan, had been laid out on the long table.   
"It's for the Major too!" Petrine exclaimed, not wanting Mio to feel left out. The Fusan scratched her head in an embarrassed manner.  
"And Lemare and Nipa!" Shirley called out, drawing attention to the witches of the 502nd, "they're leaving tomorrow!"  
"Tomorrow? So soon?" Minna fretted, not wanting the gallian healer to return so quickly.   
Gertrud interrupted her thoughts, "Yes, there was a radio call that they were needed for a large operation, taking place in a weeks time. They needed to get back for their equipment to be tuned and all."  
"Ah, well-"  
"We can talk about it later," Lemare smiled, "for now, let's just enjoy this party!"   
A cheer was heard throughout the base as the joyful witches celebrated. But in the back of Minna's mind, was the unsettling fact that the group of witches surrounding her would be split up in a matter of months. The redhead pushed it away for now. She could tell them later.

Eila and Perrine had been allowed to join in with the party, with the condition that they would clear up afterwards and then remain in their rooms until their ban was lifted. Eila had devoted herself to Sanya, making sure the delicate Orussian was okay, not sleepy, not hungry. And if she was any of those things, Eila would fix it. Sanya still had a slight cold, so only joined in with the party half heartedly, but everyone other than her and Lucchini gave it their all. 

If you remember, Lucchini was amnesiac, and since waking up in the hospital wing she had clung to Gertrud like glue, holding the tails of her jacket or her sleeve. At first the brunette had found it annoying, and had tried to get rid of Lucchini, but after multiple attempts and fails, she grew attached to the feeling of tugging of her sleeve - and the little sister character.  
During the party Lucchini stayed next the Barkhorn, eating the same foods, drinks and snacks. Even when the liquor was brought out, Gertrud stuck to soft drinks, so she didn't give her new little sister a bad impression. 

The older witches were allowed alcohol, these were Mio, Lemare, Gertrud, Erica, Shirley along with the recently sixteen Eila, Perrine and Lynne. Minna was also obviously of age, but it wasn't recommended that she drank as she was pregnant.

Lynne didn't want the alcohol at all though, she claimed it burned her throat and made her feel sick, so after a mouthful she dropped out. Eila was eager to try some, as her older sister was quite the drinker, and immediately took to the taste. Mio warned her to take it easy though, as it was her first time having full glasses of strong liquor, but Eila chugged them down anyway. Sanya was sat nearby, trying to keep track of how much Eila was drinking. Nipa had watched enviously as her friend kept refilling her glass. Perrine gracefully sipped Gallian wine from a pretty wineglass, appearing very ladylike and elegant.

Just like Gertrud, Lemare had denied the drinks, for she was flying home the next day, and decided she would get a better nights sleep if she didn't drink. Shirley and Erica decided to have a drinking competition, for both girls were quite competitive drinkers, especially Shirley. So bit by bit they downed more and more glasses. Mio definitely didn't want any hard drinks. She couldn't hold the smallest glass, so everybody thought it was just safer if Mio didn't drink.  
But an unfortunate accident occurred during that party.

"Oiiiiiii!!!! Can somebody pour me another vodka and coke?" Shirley called from her slumped position, opposite a hiccuping Erica, on the couch. Gertrud sighed as she saw the two, but nonetheless less she unscrewed the vodka and began to pour another drink.  
"Trude? Please can you get Mio and I another glass of coke while you're at it?" Minna asked her friend. Gertrud nodded and then tipped coke into the three glasses. However, she carried them over in the wrong order, and two of the three ended up with the wrong drinks. And unfortunately the mixed one was given to Mio.  
"Eh? Are you sure you put my vodka in this?" Shirley slurred to Getrud. "It's not very strong at all,"  
"I definitely did." Trude argued, clenching her fists in defence.  
"Well I can't taste-"  
Shirley was cut off by a call she never planned on hearing  
"URAAAAAAAA!!!!" The shout echoed through the hall, stopping everyone in their tracks. Mio was stood on the table, her arms raised above her head and a slight bit of drool leaking from her mouth.  
"Don't tell me..."  
"MINNNNNNAAAA!!!" Mio jumped down from the table, and dashed towards Minna. Minna remained where she was, expecting Mio to pull her into a kiss or something, but the major had other plans. Mio ducked down, so Minna was just in range, and grasped her girlfriends panties and yanked them down. Minna let out a scream and immediately dropped down to retrieve her red panties.  
"Mio!" Minna screeched as her girlfriend dashed around the room, laughing hysterically. Lemare and Nipa who looked rather taken aback at the major, froze where they were. Big mistake. Mio chose them for her next target. Lemare was first. The Gallian healer let out a weak scream as her private area was suddenly exposed, panties round her ankles. Nipa was a little harder to get. The Suomi was dashing around, keeping tight grip on her leggings. But her plan was foiled when a certain prankster stuck her white boot out and tripped her friend. Nipa fell on her face, and Mio hungrily ripped the panties down Nipa's legs.  
"Illuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!" She screeched as her best friend laughed. Eila could easily defend herself and Sanya, so they kept smartly out of the way of the rampaging major.

"MIO!" Minna shouted as her girlfriend ran round, pantsing all the girls. After Nipa, Lynne had made herself an easy target and she was immediately shot down, along with Perrine, who was more than happy for the major to strip her. As Perrine and Lynne had shown little resistance, Mio had kept hold of their warm panties and thought wearing them of a hat was great idea. 

The two competitive drinkers were next, and Mio claimed another two pairs of panties: a white pair and a potato coloured pair. Those who still had their pants, were having a time trying to catch the drunk fuso witch. All the exits were blocked off at least and since Eila would predict where the major would be, she got to have fun ordering everyone around.  
For her fifth trophy, Mio went after Gertrud. The Karlslanian was already prepared, however, and her blue panties were already off and to one side.   
Yoshika covered her eyes when she saw Barkhorn without panties.  
The younger fuso witch started to yell, "Barkhorn-San! Please cover yourself!"   
With the fun already gone, drunken Mio found a new target. Lucchini.   
"Oi! She's going for Lucchini!" Eila shouted, an accusing finger pointing in Mio's direction.  
Gertrud immediately went into protective big sister mode when she saw the glint in Mio's eye.  
"N-N-Nee-sama?" Lucchini whispered, hiding behind Gertrud.  
"Don't worry Francesca-chan, I'll look after-"   
Famous last words as the brunette was pushed over. Somehow she and Lucchini managed to bang heads on the way down, rendering themselves unconscious. Mio claimed herself what was classed as an ultimate prize; Striped panties. 

Just before the next victim could suffer, Mio's energy ran dead and she simply dropped to the floor. Everybody in the room held their breath.  
Minna shuffled across the room towards the unmoving body. It appeared that the devil was asleep. Minna breathed a sigh of relief.   
"It's fine. She's sleeping." 

Everybody breathed out in unison. Minna cautiously approached her girlfriend. Mio was lay face down on the hard floor. In each hand she had a pair of panties, and on her head she donned three pairs. Minna frowned and removed the garments off Mio.   
Minna shuffled them into a pile, before handing them to Eila. The Suomi pulled a face before tossing them in roughly the right directions of the owners. Trude's pair landed a few feet away from her on the floor, whereas Lucchini's landed directly on her face, causing Eila to fist pump in victory.   
The next two belonged to Shirley and Erica, who were passed out on the couch. The skimpy white pair landed on the Liberians stomach, and the potato coloured pair managed to somehow land on the end of Erica's foot. Lynne managed to catch hers, and hurriedly pulled them on before anything bad could happen. But Perrine simply lay drooling on the floor for a while, her panties and been returned, but she decided to stay where she was.  
Minna sighed as she saw the state of the mess hall. It certainly was a mess.  
"Trude?" Minna called to her best friend. The brunette groggily sat and rubbed her head. Slowly she reached her for panties and started to pull them back on.   
"I'm taking Mio to our room. Can you please ensure that everybody gets to their rooms?" Minna began to gather her unconscious girlfriend up in her arms, but with her back the task was difficult, so Yoshika came over to help. Gertrud started to organise the witches. She sent Nikka and Lemare immediately to bed, for their plane was leaving fairly early and it wouldn't be good if they missed the time slot. She then set Eila and Perrine to work cleaning up the food, binning the waste and keeping anything that could still be eaten. Sanya was fast asleep in the corner of the room, and Eila gave strict orders not to touch her. Even though she was still on house arrest, Eila desperately didn't want to give Sanya up to someone else.  
Lynne was told to take Lucchini straight to her bed. The young Romagian hadn't woken up after her fall, so Gertrud was slightly worried.   
While those were getting work done, Gertrud decided to have a shout at Shirley and Erica. The buxom ginger was too drunk to stand, she wasn't even listening to what Gertrud was saying, and instead was laughing to herself about something. When Erica was drunk, she hiccuped a lot. But that was really the only negative side effect for Erica. No matter how much she drank, she never seemed to get bad hangovers or headaches, she was just Erica. Shirley was the complete opposite. Gertrud was positive the next day Shirley would wake with a horrible headache and would be throwing up everywhere. It always happened. The Liberion would have ten too many drinks, keep them down for the night and the next morning they'd be over the floor.  
"Erica take Liberion here to her room. And get her a bucket, she's gonna need it after what she's had." Gertrud ordered Erica. Reluctantly, the blonde stood up and yawned. However mid-yawn she was cut off by a hiccup. Erica draped Shirley over her shoulders and half carried half dragged the ginger to her bedroom.  
Gertrud stood vigil as Eila and Perrine tidied the messy room. Eila was yawning viciously, and took another look at her Sanya, who was sleeping peacefully.   
Gertrud sighed.  
"Both of you just go to bed, and you Perrine," Gertrud said, waving her hands in their direction in defeat. Normally she would've stayed there and watched them clean every single last dish, but the karlslandian just wasn't in the mood. Gertrud had noticed something rather strange in Minna's behaviour, Sakamoto's too, and it had been bugging her for a while. Trude wasn't sure what it was exactly, but something was there that wasn't there before the meeting. She had even questioned her friend about it, and all Minna said was that it had gone okay.   
With a heavy sigh, Barkhorn watched Eila piggybacking Sanya out of the room, while Perrine rubbed her eyes under her glasses.  
"Good night, Captain."   
"Night."

[LINEBREAK]

Georgette and Nikka were on their way. Their plane had left in the early hours of the morning, but not too early, for Lemare needed to have one last check and talk with Minna.

The check hadn't consisted of much, just the healer running her glowing hands over Minna's lower belly repeatedly, while ticking off boxes on a sheet. Minna was then flipped over, and her back was given a thorough heal. Georgette then proceeded to explain all the things she would need to do. Yoshika had been assigned for healing sessions, so that Minna could try to improve the state of her back. The fuso healer had already been instructed in what to do in certain situations, if unsure she could radio and check with Lemare.

Georgette was going to be coming back in a few weeks, when Minna was at twelve weeks, to help her with her changing body. Georgette also wanted to talk with Mio at some time, delivering her important information about how to deal with mood swings, or Minna's sex drive. But unfortunately for Mio, Georgette decided to wait until next time she came back. Their first talk was about the simple things, but as a mother there were more things that the major would need to cope with, whether she wanted to or not. 

Eila always had the last laugh when it came to Nipa. The mischievous blonde had played one last prank before her friend had left, it wasn't the best prank ever, but it certainly was funny. Well probably funny, but Eila herself hadn't actually been there to see it out in motion. What she had done was filled Nipa's pockets with some strange goo that Ursula had brought a while ago, and had simply left it at that. Eila had no idea when Nipa might put her hands in her pockets, but she would've been delighted to see the reaction. The two hadn't even said goodbye properly. A drowsy hug was all Nipa got, for Eila was slightly sleepy from all the drinks she had the previous night. Sanya had taken her rightful place in Eila's bed, snuggled right up next to her girlfriend, making the most of her last night off for a while.

Gertrud had gotten herself up nice and early. Then forced Erica out of her den of garbage. Since Gertrud wasn't sure who would be on breakfast duty, she sent Erica to wake Lynne and Yoshika, since the two made it most mornings anyway.   
With a brisk pace and a straight back, Barkhorn continued her journey down the hallway, coming to the door she had been looking for. 

After smartly tapping on the door, she entered, not expecting an answer. Unsurprisingly, Barkhorn"s prediction was correct, and Shirley was indeed completely hung over. The buxom girl was draped over her bed in an untidy manner, legs everywhere, arms splayed out. But she kept her head near the half full bucket, as if she was going to chuck up at any moment. Which she was. The window was open, letting the curtains flap in the wind as the breeze hit them. Gertrud sighed as she saw the mess Shirley was in, then turned to Lucchini. The pasta lover was curled up on her bed, all snuggly with her little blanket over her head. Smiling softly to herself, Gertrud lifted the blanket to wake the little creature. She wished she hadn't.

"GUARD DOWN!" Lucchini screeched, and launched herself at the bewildered Barkhorn. The unsuspecting Karlslandian had definitely not seen that coming.

All she wanted to do, was wake her adorable little twin tailed sister. Tie her hair for her, help her dress. But nooooooooo.   
"Wha-?!?!" Barkhorn lost her words as she was groped by small hands. She spun around to try and throw Lucchini off. As if that would work.  
Lucchini kept a firm grip on the prize and refused to be shaken off.  
"LET GO YOU-!"   
The tiny girl didn't even listen, and instead massaged the tender breasts further, giggling frantically. Eventually, after two long minutes, Gertrud did a martial arts throw which put the young one back in her place. Lucchini sat on her bed, scratching her head with her static hair up everywhere.  
The Romanian pulled a face. "You're no fun!"  
"And you're back to normal," Gertrud sighed, thinking that it was fun while it lasted. The thoughts of both girls were interrupted as retching could be heard behind them. They turned their heads to see Shirley successfully managing to empty the contents of her stomach all over herself and her bed.  
"Are you kidding me?!?" Gertrud almost shouted. With a growl she marched over to the liberion and pulled her to her wobbly feet. Shirley immediately showed resistance.  
"Don't! My head-"   
She didn't even have time to finish her protest before her vision swam and she threw up all over the captain. Gertrud screeched at the vomit covering her left arm and back.   
"We're going to the showers!" With a huff, the brunette dragged the ginger out of the room, leaving a foul smell behind.   
With a carefree shrug, the mischievous Lucchini skipped out of the room, hungry for breakfast.

[LINEBREAK] 

It was fuso food for breakfast. Again. Yoshika didn't seem to be keen on making anything else, so it was pretty much always Fuso cuisine. Mio loved it, and as did Minna for she loved any kind of weird food, but the rest weren't keen. Perrine forced herself to eat some weird thing occasionally, for the Major. And Lucchini would gorge herself on sushi and raw fish. But other than rice nobody else could really stomach the exotic taste.   
"More rice Lynne-chan?" Yoshika offered the tub with a smile. Lynne saw the looks of horror on the other witches faces when their only source of energy was about to be taken by someone who has more than enough meat on her chest. Lynne sweat dropped and politely refused. Yoshika shrugged and moved onto the next person. It was rather lonely at the table, since the two visitors weren't there and Shirley, Gertrud, Mio and Eila were showering, while Sanya slept. Gertrud had met Eila and Mio in the showers, who too were suffering from a hangover. Not quite on the same scale as Shirley's, but Mio's was pretty rough none the less. Gertrud wasn't even sure how she kept her sanity in the shower block, when the three accompanying her kept burping loudly and one of them, usually Shirley, would occasionally vomit down herself.  
Back at the table, Yoshika stared at the leftovers.  
"I guess we could save them for the others, and for lunch," she suggested to commander Minna. The redhead simply nodded and continued with her third helping of Nattou.   
Once the group were finished, Lucchini and Erica were put on cleanup duty while the others got to work with their daily business. Yoshika and Lynne decided to go and take a bath, they felt a little sweaty after all that energy they worked up last night. Perrine was on a hunt for the Major, and Minna retreated to her office.  
With a grim look on her face, she sat and stared at the paperwork in front of her. The paperwork she had been given at the meeting.   
With a sigh she picked up the first page. It happened to be a file on Eila, and where she would be going once the disbanding had taken place.  
It read:  
\---  
Name: Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen  
Age: 16  
Nationality: Suomus  
\---  
There was some other stuff Minna didn't care to read, but she did take a look at where she would be transferring to. The 502nd JFW, it was expected as Eila and Sanya had been sent there before. Minna flicked through some other files, reading the data on her other subordinates. Most of it Minna knew already, but she just wanted to see where they were going to be transferred to. Erica was going back to St Tronds base, and for once she was going to be parted from Barkhorn, who was being shipped off on loan to the Fuso Imperial Navy along Yoshika. Minna bit her lip slightly when she read that.  
How would Erica even survive without Trude?   
Lucchini had been snatched up by the 504th, even though they were full, Doglio was still lame and could not preform front line duties. Shirley had no transfer destination next to her name, meaning she was still up for grabs or would just return to her homeland. Minna suspected it was the former rather than the latter. Perrine was going with the Noble Witches, rather fitting for her. Lynne was going to become part of HMW, which was truly an honour, but Minna couldn't imagine the shy teen fitting in well.  
As she read on things became even more bullshit than Minna had even imagined. The redhead almost choked on air when she read Sanya's file.  
The Orussian was being transferred to the 507th. The misfits squad.   
Minna reread the file, just to make sure she wasn't just seeing things.  
With a ruffle of papers, she found Eila's file once again. It still read that she was moving to the 502nd. Minna was so lost in despair she didn't notice Gertrud entering her office.  
"Minna?" She said, for the third time. Minna looked up, shoving the files in a drawer.  
"Yes Trude?"   
"I came to see how you are?" The brunette eyed the drawer do the desk curiously, wanting to know what was inside. The captain was wearing only her panties and bra, for her uniform was spinning round and round in the washing machine.  
"I'm fine thanks Trude." The redhead said bluntly, not even convincing herself. Trude ignored that and got to the reason she was there.  
"How did you meeting go?"   
"It went well."  
Minna knew the next question, and internally she begged Trude not to ask it.   
"What's happening to the wing?"  
Minna's heart skipped a beat and she realised that she couldn't do it. She couldn't let this happen. She couldn't tell Trude what was going to happen to her. So, Minna lied.  
"Well, they're sending down a temporary commander to take control," Gertrud's gaze darkened slightly, feeing betrayed at not being put in charge.  
"Trude... I'm sorry... I tried... They wouldn't have it any other way..." Minna tried to keep the tear in her eye.  
"It's okay. I know you did your best. At least we still have the wing," it was at that moment that Minna felt her stomach lurch, and she hunched herself over the bin and threw up her 'delicious' breakfast. Trude was at her side immediately, and rubbed her back. Once the bout was over, Minna tried to even out her breathing, but instead bringing on the waterworks.  
"I didn't expect to have to experience another upchucking today, Minna." Gertrud said softly. Minna cried into the bin she had just vomited in.   
"You're tired. Let get you back to bed," Trude assisted her best friend into a standing position. Minna leaned on her shoulder lamely.  
"I'm fine. It's just my hormo-"  
"You're not yourself today. I won't ask what's wrong, but maybe you should go and see Miyafuji,"   
"No no no! I'm fine! It's just my hormones! I told you!" Minna protested, trying to pull away. Mio chose just the right moment to enter the room.   
"Minna!" She dashed across the room and took Minna by the arm. Mio herself wasn't feeling the best, but she had to be strong.  
"Thanks Barkhorn, I'll take it from here."   
Barkhorn realised Minna's arm and stood back to let Mio handle it.  
"You're going to sleep for a bit!" Mio said, guiding the protesting Minna from the room. Gertrud watched them leave, but remained in the office. Slowly she walked round the side of Minna's desk, taking a deep breath. If she was caught in the act, this could be the end of her military career. With a steady hand but a shaky mind, she reached down to the drawer and tugged gently. It was locked.   
Gertrud sighed a sigh of disappointment and relief. She was safe for now.  
Silently she left the room, her mind occupied with the drawer, and why Minna had been so keen to hide its contents.


	9. Chapter 9

[1 MONTH AFTER THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER, MINNA IS 12 WEEKS PREGNANT]

"Mio?"  
Mio glanced over the darkened room at her girlfriend, who was stood in front of the full body mirror, looking down at herself. Minna was half dressed, with a plain white shirt around her torso, with the buttons undone all the way down. She did have her pants on however.  
"I'm fat."  
With those words Minna burst into tears before clutching her slightly swollen stomach and dropping to the floor.   
Mio jumped up from the bed and approached her upset girlfriend.  
"No you're not!" The Fuso solider protested, wrapping her arms lightly around Minna. While the redhead cried into Mio's arms, the black haired witch kissed her on the cheek, forehead and then nose.   
"You're beautiful, you see this?" Mio slowly slid her warm hand down Minna's front, sliding past her enlarged chest, and down her belly. Minna ceased crying and watched where Mio's hands caressed.   
"This is ours." Mio leant down and kissed Minna's small bump; her child. 

With a blush on her face and hesitating hands, Mio slid her hands around Minna's waist and up her back, pulling her lover into an embrace. They stated liked that for moment, just trying to make the most of each other. But that only lasted a moment, before Mio's lust took over and she placed a finger under Minna's chin and joined their lips together. They remained under the heat of the moment for as long as possible.  
Their embrace was getting stuffy; the arousal between them was hot, and emitted off both girls in waves. Yet they still did not break the kiss. Minna's hands grasped Mio's hanten and pulled it down, exposing her pale shoulders and the ultimate prize; Mio's breasts. 

It was then that their kiss was broken, but they paused for a second before continuing, just staring into each other's lust riddled eyes.   
"....Minna..." The major whispered the others name, leaning back in. But this time instead of going the lips, Mio's mouth went to Minna's neck. Mio could feel Minna's breathing become faster and she sucked and bit the redhead's neck. The black haired witch bit down and sucked as hard as she could, wanting to leave a mark but forgetting that they would need to show their faces later that day.   
Minna tried looked down at the girl attached to her neck, but of course her view was blocked. So with clumsy hands Minna reached forward and tried to find Mio's breasts. She heard a soft moan rumble through Mio as she felt her breasts being massaged and pinched by the girl she loved. Minna fondled Mio's breasts to her hearts content. Or she would have done, but a shout at the door of their bedroom jolted the couple out of their comfort zone. Mio leapt away from Minna, and passed her girlfriend the covers to hide her body with.  
"I'm coming!" Mio shouted, walking to the door stark naked. She opened it a crack, just enough to see out. Unfortunately, it was just enough so the visitor had a good view of her body.  
"Ahhhh S-S-S-Sakamoto-San!" Miyafuji squealed, trying to avert her eyes from the toned body of the major. Being as shallow as she was, Mio failed to notice the reason for Yoshika's red face.  
"Ah! Miyafuji! Egar to resume your training!" Mio laughed her loud laugh.  
"Eto, Sakamoto-San, I'm actually here to check Commander Minna." Yoshika said awkwardly, definitely not wanting a train session from hell. Mio looked slightly disappointed at the rejection of training.   
"I see,"  
"Please send her down to the infirmary wing when you're ready..."  
"Can I come?"  
"Sure! If Commander Minna wishes you to, I'll see you down there." Yoshika ripped her gaze away from the majors body, and tried to keep the blood in her nose as she staggered down the hallway. Mio scratched her head in confusion and shut the door behind her. She felt her mouth automatically twitch into a goofy smile as she saw Minna stood behind her, leaning forwards.   
"Mioooooo~~~" Minna sing songed gently into her girlfriends ear. With a swift delivery of love to the lips, Mio turned towards her wardrobe and began digging aground for her white jacket and bathing suit. With her head in the wardrobe she called to Minna;  
"Put something on, we need to go for your check with Miyafuji."  
In response, Minna flopped down on the with a huff. Mio peeked round the door.  
"Nothing fits." Minna wined, and her white shirt was tossed across the room. From amorous and erotic to childish and moody, Minna had changed moods quick, whereas Mio still had her mind in the gutter.  
"And this bra is too tight," There was the sound of tight elastic snapping as the black bra was sent flying through the air.   
Mio pulled her jacket on and approached her girlfriend, in her arms was a large black hoodie.  
"It's okay see? Put this on, and we can go shopping later and get you some new things." Mio smiled, and handed her hoodie to Minna. The black haired witch then proceeded to tie her shoes. Once they were tied, she stood back up, expecting Minna to be ready. Instead the redhead had her face pressed into the black hoodie. Mio smiled slightly.  
"It smells of you," Minna sighed happily. Mio chuckled and took the matter into her own hands. She pulled the hoodie over Minna's head, and down her curvy body, brushing against the soft breasts slightly as she did so.  
As the couple started to leave, Minna tugged on Mio's sleeve.  
"Hold my hand?"  
"Of course,"   
And with that, they set off the the medical wing, hand in hand.

[LINEBREAK]

Mio gulped anxiously as Yoshika spread the gel across Minna's lower stomach. She was quite nervous about the baby, and although she hadn't said anything, she was also worried. But, as Minna had a steady smile on her face, Mio put on on too and clasped Minna's warm hand tightly.  
"Ready Commander Minna?" Yoshika asked flexing her fingers in the way she usually would to grope Lynne. Minna nodded.  
As Yoshika lowered her hands the tension in the room rose. Mio leaned forward onto the edge of the wooden stool she had been sat on. 

Minna breathed in.

There was a bang as the door slammed open. Minna hurriedly pulled the towel up to cover her breasts. Yoshika had made her take off the hoodie for the check, for it would've been in the way, and instead she had been given a towel to cover her upper body. In surprise Mio had jumped up and knocked the stool over when the peace had been disrupted.   
The disruption was Eila. Mio stood defensively in front of Minna, with one hand on her shoulder, but Eila didn't seem to be looking at the other three at all. Her mind was occupied with another task.   
"Eila-San? It did say on the door that-" Yoshika was cut off and Eila walked straight past her and began to open the cupboards and dig around in the supplies.  
"Oi! Eila! We're in the middle of something!" Mio started her walk over to the blonde. Eila didn't seem to be paying much attention. In fact Eila had seemed very distracted recently, even in battle, her mind seemed to be elsewhere.   
With a firm hand on her shoulder, Eila was snapped back into the real world.  
"Eh?" She shot the major a questioning look.  
"We're busy Eila, you need to learn to knock." Mio told her in a blunt voice, but at the same time she was curious. Eila looked away from the others and tried to get back into the cupboard to find what she was looking for.  
"Sorry. Just give me a minute."   
In less than thirty seconds later she emerged with a bottle, and a packet of pills. Yoshika gave them a suspicious look.  
"What's wrong Eila-San? Are you sick?" The young fusan asked. There didn't seemed to be anything wrong with Eila, besides the fact she seemed incredibly distracted, and a little tired.  
"It's nothing." Eila tried to escape from the awkward atmosphere by leaving the room, but she found her route blocked.  
"Is it Sanya-chan? Is she ill?" Yoshika asked carefully, in a caring tone of voice. With a slight hesitation, Eila nodded. "Once I've done this I can come and-"  
"No! She's fine. Just leave her. I'll do her patrol tonight, please just let me out."  
To Eila's surprise, the Major stepped aside and let her leave. She dashed out of the room before anyone could change their mind.  
Mio just stood looking at the door thoughtfully.  
"Well that was weird." Yoshika stated, Minna nodded in agreement. "Let's continue shall we?"  
Everybody settled back into their previous positions. Mio was had a little more of her butt on the stool this time, and Yoshika seemed more focused.  
"Are you ready now?" Yoshika asked Minna, who nodded. Gently, Yoshika lowered her hands so they remained an inch above Minna's skin. Blue auras appeared as the young witch called upon her familiar. For a minute, Yoshika stayed in this position, her facial expressions changed from a frown to a smile in seconds. Mio brought her hand up so she could hold her girlfriends hand for comfort.   
When Yoshika's ears and tail disappeared, she turned to the anxious couple.  
"Congratulations Commander, Sakamoto-San! Your baby appears to be healthy!" Yoshika exclaimed excitedly. Minna breathed a sigh of happiness and her eyes lit up. She was really excited about the child, and Mio could tell. With each passing day Minna would talk about it more and more. Mio too was excited, but she was also very scared. She feared for Minna's health, especially because of her back, so things would be difficult if her back started to get really bad.   
"I'll give you some wipes so we can get this off," Yoshika signalled to the gel, "And then we can get on with the day."  
Yoshika pulled some large paper towels off the side and handed them to Mio. Miyafuji didn't want to invade the couples privacy by touching Minna while Mio was there, so it was just easier if Mio did it.  
"Actually, can you go and tell the others we want to call a meeting?" Minna asked. Miyafuji nodded.  
"Anything else you need, Commander Minna?"   
Minna gave a sideways glance and blushed a little.  
"...well... Actually, there is one thing that I need..."

[LINEBREAK]

They were on their way. The warning level had be conveniently low, so Mio and Minna had decided to take their little trip. Only, they had two surprising guests with them.  
Sanya and Eila.  
The quiet couple had requested to come along with them after the meeting. The two didn't get off base very often, because of awkward sleeping patterns, so Minna agreed for them to go, hoping that they would enjoy the change of scenery and fresh air.   
Eila had agreed to drive on the way there, with Sanya sat up in the form next to her, seemingly more alert than usual. Sanya hummed softly to herself.  
Every now and then, Eila would give Sanya a quick glance, or remove her hand from the wheel just long enough to touch her girlfriends hand. Sanya liked this, although it put them all at risk, but Eila knew what she was doing. 

Mio had originally wanted Minna up in the front sat upright in a proper seat because of her back. Minna had insisted she was fine and would happily sit in the back so Sanya could be with Eila. The older couple were just enjoying the quality time together as they drove across the bridge joining their little island to Britannia. It was a pleasant journey. Each couple respected and understood each other's privacy, as the four were often left alone together in the early mornings when Sanya returned from her patrol. 

Minna had always been an early riser. Her morning routine would include her preparing herself for the day, then retreating to the common room for a round of toast just to keep her going until breakfast was served. The commander had quickly learned that if she timed her ritual just right, she would meet Mio coming back in from training. The two grew used to this arrangement and synced their routines. Sometimes Minna would warm Mio's rice as well as her own toast, Mio would pour Minna's coffee along with her tea. The roles were easily reversible. 

The younger couple had also grown used to the morning routine. Eila had started to wake herself earlier so she could get up and wait for Sanya. Eila would walk in just in time for tea, so Mio would make four cups instead of two, and not long later Sanya would stumble in. Most of the time they would sit down in silence even after the tea was drunk, but if Sanya was wet from the rain Eila would make them retreat to their room a little earlier than usual. But in general, the two couples enjoyed each other's company.

It wasn't long before the jeep arrived in the busy Brittanian town. Eila was a bit of a rage driver when it came to towns, honking the horn when people held her up, but even though Mio offered to take the wheel, she refused. But having Eila as a driver was helpful; she could see accidents in the future and prevent them. Legally, Eila wasn't really of the driving age, but she claimed if she can defend the world against aliens, she can drive a truck into a town. Eila pulled up on the side of the road, right in front of a hardware store. 

"I'm not sure what you need, but there's plenty of shops around here so you should be able to find most of it. Lynne told me about this place." Eila stated, pulling the key from the ignition. This movement brought the trucks gentle, humming engine to a stop.  
"Me and Sanya need to go and... And..."  
The Orussian interrupted when Eila struggled to come up with an excuse, "Pick up some things,"   
"Yeah! We'll meet you back here in an hour, then we can come with you and help you carry what you need." Before confirmation of the request, Eila tugged Sanya's sleeve and the two headed down the street together. Mio scratched her cheek just under her eyepatch.  
"There's definitely something going on between them." Minna stated as Mio gave her a hand down. "They are being being incredibly secretive ,"  
Mio hadn't noticed this until Minna pointed it out.  
"You're right. But lets get on with getting you some new clothes." 

With linked arms the two set off down the busy street, Sanya and Eila had already disappeared into the hustling crowds, and there appeared to be no hope of finding the two, so the older couple minded their own business. 

The hour passed a little quicker than the couples had intended. Sanya and Eila had barely wrapped up their business, and Minna still needed some new bras. But they all met back up anyway. Surprisingly, Eila nor Sanya were holding any bags or purchases, which brought up a question.   
"What did you two do?" Mio asked curiously. Eila almost choked on her air. She hadn't expected them to ask so suddenly, she hadn't an excuse to say yet. So Sanya made the decision.  
"Love hotel." She said casually. This time Eila actually choked on her air before hastily agreeing. Mio looked taken aback at the comment while Minna blushed uncontrollably. After a few minutes of awkwardness between the four, Minna spoke up.  
"Ermmm... Next time you don't have to say. We won't ask again."   
Sanya nodded but Eila was still very red in the face.   
"Anyway let's get the stuff on this list."

[LINEBREAK]

Mio smiled at her sleeping girlfriend next to her as she turned another corner. The four witches had spent the entire afternoon shopping, buying different things for different people. Yoshika had asked for some strange ingredients and herbs, which had been a struggle to find but they got there in the end. Lynne wanted some new stockings exactly the same as her old ones, for hers were full of ladders and the final pair had been stained when Yoshika dropped her curry down them. 

Gertrud had again wanted something for Chris. Her younger sister was making a recovery faster than anticipated, so as the responsible older sister she was, Trude wanted to get her gift. Shirley had had asked for a new dildo. An offer Minna wasn't inclined to take on. The Liberian was just joking, but Mio had taken her offer quiet seriously and had them venture into a sex toy shop. Being underage, Sanya and Eila had to wait outside, both of them seemed slightly disappointed. 

Minna tried to avert her gaze from everything on display and instead focused her eyes on the floor in front of her. Mio however, had made the most of the shop. Secretly, the fusan wanted something for herself. Her sex drive was as high as ever and since Minna still hadn't made love with her, she was getting restless.   
Mio didn't want to force her girlfriend into sex, but the feeling was getting unbearable. The older couple would start a make out session, and get super into it. Unfortunately for them, subordinates with problems and the neuroi's bad timing had prevented any real intimate act between them. By the time they had sorted whatever had interrupted them out, Minna had lost the mood and didn't want to continue. Mio had found time to speak to Shirley about it, since the busty girl too had a high sex drive. Shirley was incredibly open with most things about herself, her impressive chest was her pride and glory and loved to flaunt it at any chance she had. Naturally she had been the best one to talk to. She also swore to secrecy, but Mio wasn't sure how long that would last.   
Perrine had only wanted some seeds for her flowers, and Erica and Lucchini just wanted sweets.

Mio looked up into the rear view mirror and had a little look at the couple asleep in the back. It was a little hard to see but Mio could just about make out Sanya lay across Eila's lap. The Suomi had her eyes shut and her arms resting around Sanya. Mio used her eye to see a little clearer, but she wished she hadn't. Both of the younger girls looked unhappy as they slept, frowning as such.   
But the major shook it off. They were nearly at the base. Lights could be seen illuminating the base, making it stand out from the dark sea around it.

"Major?" Eila spoke up from the back. Her voice wasn't too loud, wasn't too quiet, but nonetheless it made the Fuso witch jump.   
"Yes Eila?"   
The Suomi yawned before continuing.  
"Are you going to marry Minna? After all; its your child she's pregnant with."  
Eila shifted her position slightly, but not enough to disturb Sanya.  
Mio remained silent for a bit.  
" I would love to. But our lives are just too busy right now, the war is raging. There's no time for romance."  
Mio bit her lip as she said that, and Eila looked down at Sanya with a guilty conscience.   
"Eila, I hope you don't mind me asking, but where were you really before? If it were a love hotel, you finished up awfully quick," Mio stated, trying to fend off the blush that wanted to inhabit her face. Eila went quiet.  
"You'll find out eventually." Eila murmured, stroking Sanya's head. 

Suddenly without any warning, Eila jumped up and leaned over Mio. The Suomi grabbed the wheel and swerved the truck to the side, avoiding hitting a large tree in the middle of the road. Mio pulled on the breaks, nearly sending Eila through the windscreen. The impact of getting thrown of Eila in a hurry had woken Sanya. Minna woke when the breaks were pulled and Eila fell on top of her. Mio hurriedly pushed the younger witch off her girlfriend; she didn't want Minna injured in any way.   
"What is that?" Sanya asked quietly.   
"Minna, Sanya, wait here." Mio pulled her katana out of its scabbard next to her on the seat. "Eila come with me." Eila gave Sanya a weary look before climbing out of the truck.   
"I'll try and call the base," Minna said, reaching forward to the radio. Due to an unfortunate accident, the radio was gone. It took Minna a while to realise this.   
"I think the radio is gone Commander Minna." Sanya stated. Minna looked down.  
"Where on earth could it be?"   
The two pondered until Minna noticed something usual about where the radio was usually kept. Four long gashes ran down the interior of the car. Minna had seen this somewhere before.  
"Ahhh." The redhead leaned back in defeat, " Trude's work I presume."

Outside the truck, Eila hadn't predicated anything as of yet, and stood guard while Mio checked the tree. It seemed as it had simply fallen over. No burn marks that indicated a red laser had fired. No damage to the tree other than the snapped trunk. With an annoyed sigh Mio stood back up and gestured for Eila to get back in.  
"I'll call up the maintenance tomorrow and get them to move it," the major said to the three girls.  
"Anyway, we're nearly home."   
Minna smiled and watched as the illuminated base drew near.  
"Yeah."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just would like to say thanks to everybody who reads Minna's Mistake! I know my writing is far from the best, yet it surprises me greatly when I have more kudos and hits than some of the better writers XD anyways, thanks again~


	10. Chapter 10

Eila was tired. Ridiculously tired. The effects of doing Sanya's night patrol and her daily duties were taking a serious toll, one she couldn't avoid. Her feet were like lead and she couldn't sit upright at the breakfast table, she leaned forward slouching over her meal.  
As the morning letters were passed around, Eila didn't even react as hers were placed on the table in front of her. Everybody else immediately began to rip open their envelopes, some members quite excited at the thought of news from home.  
"Good news Lynne-chan! My mother and grandma recently received an award for the clinic! Isn't that great!" Yoshika exclaimed and nudged Lynne.  
"That's wonderful Yoshika-chan!" Lynne said half heartedly. When Yoshika tried to read over Lynne's shoulder the Brittianian slammed her letters down on the table, and covered them with her hands, before giving Yoshika a smile. Yoshika was a little let down that Lynne didn't let her read the letters, but the thought quickly passed and she continued her meal.  
Gertrud had received a letter from the hospital about Chris, that her treatment was going well. Mio received three letters from her friends in the Fuso Army and Navy, but other than that the remainder of the girls, besides Eila, didn't have anything. Eila had two letters, but she couldn't be bothered to open them, so she left them in the middle of the table.  
Eila could hear the sound of cutlery scraping on the plates, the sound of metal cups being plonked down on the table.  
The smell of food was thick in the air.  
The Suomi wasn't hungry though. She just wanted to sleep. Her lack of sleep was becoming noticeable, even Perrine had said about how awful she looked.  
She couldn't let Sanya fly.  
She mustn't let Sanya fly.  
The Orussian had persisted that she could do her patrol by herself, but Eila refused her to even do it with company. So Eila did it herself.  
The blonde drooped over her meal, with her eyes sealed shut and body turned off. She tried to blot out the noise around her, so sleep would overtake. Sanya was tugging her sleeve, trying to get her to eat something. Drowsily, Eila pulled her heavy body up and tried to shovel to food in. The eyes of everyone of the table were on her, some making it more noticeable than others.  
"Eila." Minna repeated the name for what would've been the third time. Eila snapped her eyes fully open.  
"Ja?"  
" I want you to take the day off, Sanya can preform your duties." Minna stated. Eila stood up and slapped her hands down on the table.  
"I can do them. I'm fine honestly."  
Minna sighed and sat back down.  
"That's an order. I assume you don't want to be under house arrest again?" Minna watched Eila's reaction and took a sip from her tea. Eila scowled furiously but other emotions ran across her face. But Minna didn't have time to dwell of the thought. Because for the first time in weeks, the neuori warning alarm went off. The sound echoed throughout the base. 

Everybody at the table jumped up, including Eila.  
"Everybody to the hangar!" Mio shouted and waved her hands around. The fusan then turned to Minna and took the redheads hands in her own.  
"Don't you even dare look at your unit Minna. Guide us from the ground." She said, Mio's one eye burned with protection. Then, the black haired witch leaned in and pressed her lips against Minna's. The two stayed like that for a short second, before Mio hand to pull herself away. The kiss had surprised Minna greatly, as Mio wasn't the type for goodbye kisses.  
With one last longing look, Minna turned and made her way to the control tower, she could get a much better idea of what was going on from up there.  
"Wait! Don't let Eila go!" Minna called down her earpiece, hoping the overprotective Suomi was still on the ground.  
"Barkhorn online and received," the sound of Minna's best friend crackled down the earpiece. "Affirmative, Juutilainen has been warned of the consequences if she decides to go against your will,"  
"Good, get everybody else online please Trude."  
The station became alive with voices as the witches joined one by one.  
"Sakamoto online."  
"Hartmann online."  
"Yeager online."  
"LUCCHINI ONLINE!"  
There was a screech as the twin tailed girl shouted into her earpiece.  
"Don't shout you brat!" The fifth voice was clearly Perrine. "Clostermann online." She muttered.  
"Miyafuji online!"  
"I am too!" Lynne squeaked, forgetting military procedure.  
When there were no further voices, Minna spoke again.  
"Get Sanya online now."  
After a moment the Orussian opened up her line.  
"I'm here."  
"Affirmitive! All units prepare for takeoff! In five!"  
Eila leaned over a whispered something in Sanya's ear.  
"Four!"  
Sanya at grabbed her by the collar and pulled her into a kiss.  
"Three!"  
Sanya began accelerating her magical power.  
"Two!"  
The Orussian began to follow the others down the runway.  
"One!"  
Eila ran after her.  
"TAKEOFF!"  
Sanya's unit left the ground, with one last longing look, Sanya flew up into the sky.  
"All units airborne! Standing by for further orders!" Gertrud said.  
"How are things looking up there?" Minna asked. After a second, a voice recognisable as Mio's filled the line.  
"I can see it. It's crossing sector A into F, flying at fast speeds."  
Minna marked the coordinates showing her radar into the map, as well as chalking the path of the enemy aircraft.  
" Okay, Shirley we will be counting on you for this one."  
"Yes! Finally!" The excitement of being able to use her speed was heavy in the Liberians voice. Minna shook her head happily and rolled her eyes.  
"I can't see much from down here. Sakamoto take over command and keep me updated."  
"Yes ma'am!" 

Up in the sky things were proceeding smoothly. Shirley had flown ahead to cut the neuroi's path up, while the others followed behind to circle the neuroi. They were flying two by two, with the exception of Lynne and Sanya. But that was fine, as the Brittanian was sniping from a distance, slowing moving in behind the others, and Sanya seemed a bit slow on the uptake today too.  
"Okay I've cut its path!" The sound of rapidly firing bullets could be heard.  
"Bishop! Keep the neuroi where we want it!" Mio ordered. Lynne responded with a sharp yes before firing another bullet that ripped through the air with ease.  
"Barkhorn, Perrine and Lucchini take the right side! Miyafuji, Sanya and Hartmann with me! Bishop stop it from escaping the rear!"  
"Yes!"  
The group split and made their way to the designated location. It was then the neuroi decided to attack. Red beams fired in multiple directions, most of the witches raised their luminous blue shields, but Mio dodged around the fiery beams. The fuso witch knew better than to take the enemy head on. Her magic power was got lower with each flight she took, each bullet she fired. Even when she uncovered her eye for the shortest time, Mio could feel the magic leaving her body.  
Still, her engines stuttered as she zoomed in and out of the beams. But the solider kept going.  
Barkhorn was going at it like usual, controlled, but still reckless. Erica watched her comrade with an amused smile.  
"Hey Trude!" She called. The brunette was just reloading, and glanced behind trying to find where Erica's voice was coming from. Too slow. With a familiar shout of "Sturum!" The blonde shot past Gertrud's head.  
"HARTMANN! GET BACK ON YOUR OWN WING!" Barkhorn yelled. Erica winked at Yoshika as she dived into the neuroi.  
Hartmann shot right through the middle, sending neuroi particles flying.  
In unison, Sakamoto and Hartmann shouted "I've found the core!"  
Erica had managed to get a glimpse of the shiny red glow and was only centimetres away when she bust through the neuroi.  
"Right there! In the middle!" Mio pulled her eyepatch down after finding the location. Her body sagged a little and her propellers would stutter.  
"I'll try and open it up!" Lynne spoke into her earpiece. Another strong bullet ripped into the neuroi. The other witches could feel the turbulence as it soared by them.  
"I'll help too!" Sanya aimed her fliegerhammer at the spot where the core was located and as Lynne's shot hit, she fired her missiles. This created a gaping hole in the neuroi, exposing the core slightly.  
"There it is!" Shirley yelled. Mass machine gun shots were being fired at the core, each witch wanted the kill.  
In one last desperate attempt to save itself, the neuroi fired one last feeble beam before Erica's bullet hit the core and it shattered.  
"Sanya-chan! Watch out!" Yoshika shouted, for the beam was heading towards the Orussian.  
"Huh?" Sanya was too slow, and too late to raise her shield.  
"SANYA!" 

Something else tumbled into Sanya, knocking her out of the way.  
Eila.  
The beam soared by, hitting nothing but thin air.  
"Eila?" The silver haired witch looked down at the girl around her waist.  
"Minna! Juutilainen arrived!" Gertrud called into her earpiece.  
"I thought she would."  
Minna sighed. She brought out her binoculars and tried to get a look at the situation. The sky was too cloudy, or the witches were too far away for Minna to see anything. She just had to rely on the updates from the witches.  
"Commander we shot out the core of the Neuroi," The voice was recognisable as Gertruds.  
"Excellent, please return back to base."  
"Ye-"  
Gertrud cut off.  
"Huh? Trude?"  
Minna tapped into a different line and tried to reconnect.  
"Trude?"  
In her head, Minna could see all kinds of situations happening. The worst case ones seemed to stick.  
With nervousness in her step, Minna exited the control tower, taking a smaller radio with her. The journey to the hangar seemed to take longer than Minna thought. She eventually broke into a run for she couldn't bear to keep at the slow pace she was going. Just before opening the solid steel door, she tried one last time on the radio. All lines she could access, Minna searched for anything.  
But there was nothing.  
Slowly, Minna closed her eyes.  
Breathe in.  
"I have to go and save Mio." She spoke her thoughts out loud unintentionally.  
"Wait, I need to stop sounding if something has happened!" Minna took another breath before correcting herself.  
"I need to bring Mio home. That's right, she's fine. Just need to bring her home."  
Minna snapped open her eyes, a fire burning in the red depths. She pulled the handle down, and forced the door open.  
"It's heavier than I remember" The redhead thought to herself.  
It was true. Since finding out about Minna's pregnancy, Mio had restricted Minna's training plan majorly. She wasn't allowed to do anything other than her back exercises, which was saying something since Mio lived for her training. Minna didn't find any problems with that system at first, but it was becoming apparent that something she used to do so easily, was a struggle.  
"Will I even be able to fly? After all, having children affects my magical power...I hope I still can..." Minna fretted.  
Minna strode across the hangar. She found her beloved unit stashed under a dusty tarpaulin. The messerscharf itself was in pristine condition. It had been fixed since Minna had been shot down, but obviously she wasn't allowed to fly it.  
With a little bit of a struggle, Minna ripped the tarp off and just stood for a moment and admired her unit. Decked in its light and dark green paint coat, it looked marvellous. Minna stood for a moment before running a free hand along the curves of main body and then the smooth wings.  
Slowly she climbed up onto the platform used for getting into your striker. It took up a lot of her energy just climbing onto the platform. Just before she was going to jump in, Minna accidentally glanced down. Her eye caught her small bump, hidden beneath her new, larger shirt. The commander stopped for a second, Mio's words flashing through her mind.  
Realisation of what she was doing hit Minna like a brick, and slowly, she slid to her knees with tears running off her face and dripping off her chin.  
"...Mio...." She sobbed softly.  
She was so lost in the moment, she failed to notice the radio crackling.  
"Commander? Commander Minna? Sanya online." The soft voice spoke smoothly, although the radio dirtied the sound with static noises.  
Minna look to where she had deserted the small dirty-green radio. The redhead crawled a few steps backwards and picked it up, raising it to her ear so quickly she smacked herself in the face. Nonetheless she still answered.  
"Sanya-San! Where are you? What's happened? Is Mio-"  
"We're fine. It just appears the neuroi have jammed our radios."  
Minna sighed in relief, "Return to base immediately if no threats are detected. Where is Mio?"  
She could hear Sanya say something to the others, but she was so soft and quiet Minna failed to hear what was said.  
"The major is fine, although she's flown off ahead of us,"  
"What about Eila-San?"  
"Just exhausted of magic. She's asleep. Barkhorn-San has her strikers, and Shirley is helping me carry her."  
"Good. Don't wake her."  
"I won't."  
"You can close your line if you want, but keep me updated if something goes on,"  
"I will. Sanya offline."  
With that, the radio connection was cut, leaving Minna in silence. The redhead picked herself up off the floor, then dried her wet cheeks. She dismounted her striker dock, but forgot to cover it back over, then proceeded to make her way to the runway. Minna wanted to be there when they returned. Firstly, because it was her job; she had to check Eila was okay and decide on a punishment. Secondly, she wanted to see Mio, desperately. It has annoyed Minna that the major had left the group. They both knew Mio was running out of magic and the fact she kept putting herself at risk was a problem.  
As Minna watched the blue sky, a wind whipped her hair back for to, but she failed to notice this. Her mind was focused on one thing. And that one thing, was a small spot in the distance, becoming clearer by the second. Mio.  
The Fusan witch was traveling at a faster speed than usual, but she was also losing altitude very quickly and ended up almost crashing into the runway. Her unit bounced along until it eventually came to a stop.  
Mio was clearly in bad shape. She was sweating so much it ran down the side of her face, and then dripped onto the floor. Her face was a deathly white colour, which alarmed Minna.  
"What've you been doing? You're in a right state!" The commander marched over to her girlfriend and offered her a shoulder. Mio slowly leant onto Minna, trying to regain her breath. She turned her head slightly in the direction of the hangar. Minna realised her mistake as soon as she noticed where Mio was looking. The redhead had forgotten to cover her striker unit back up, leaving it on display for all to see.The major stood up in her unit and grabbed Minna by the collar.  
"I told you no! Why are you doing this?!" Sakamoto shouted.  
Unknown to the couple, the other witches were beginning to land in the runway, all of them silent as they watched the fight break out in front of them.  
"I had to see if you were okay! Look at you!"  
"NO! You look at yourself! You need to learn you can't do things like you used to! It's different now!"  
Minna lost it at that comment. She wasn't sure why, but it really hurt. It hurt to think she couldn't be like Mio. She couldn't patrol the skies anymore, watching out for her people, helping her friends.  
She slapped Mio. A loud slap, that clearly echoed throughout the large hangar. That slap would surely leave a mark.  
With that, Minna pushed Mio backwards; the Fusan witch toppled over easily. Minna marched out of the room. Barkhorn quickly packed away Eila's units; Eila herself was still sleeping. Gertrud hurriedly dismounted her own units before dashing out of the large building, in hope of catching the hormonal witch.  
The remaining witches put their equipment away. Shirley and Sanya passed Eila back and to in turn, so they could each put their equipment away safely.  
Miyafuji watched from a distance as Mio remained on the hard ground. The pain her ass felt from the push was nothing compared to the negative energy that had passed from Minna to her in the form of a slap. With a trembling hand, the black haired witche touched her stinging face. It was slightly swollen from the impact, not a lot, but it still hurt.  
Mio pulled the quick release on her striker and left it lying on the ground. Wobbly legs, she walked out of the hangar. Yoshika was quick to follow, offering her healing magic.  
"No." Was Mio's answer, " I need this."

The rest of the witches finished up, and together they took the exhausted Eila back to her room.  
"Sanya-chan, are you going to come and finish breakfast with us?" The question Lynne asked was answered before it was spoken, for Sanya was most certainly not going to move from Eila's side. Plus, who would want to come and finish eating soggy cornflakes or cold toast? Sanya shook her head gently, but her gaze remained fixed on Eila. The Orussian started to undress the unconscious Eila, her hands lingering on the golden buttons before undoing them. Shirley and Erica smiled from the doorway; after Sanya declined breakfast, the rest of the witches had quietly left. Shirley liked to watch the relationship progress between the Suo/Orus couple, she found it sweet how they cared for each other, and even the little things between them were beautiful. Erica, although she too like the innocence of their relationship, did just want to see a bit of Witch on Witch action.  
"Let's leave those two lovebirds," Shirley cocked an eyebrow and grinned, exposing her white teeth. Erica leaned in and pulled the door closed, secluding Sanya and Eila in the dark room.  
Undressing Eila didn't take long; it usually took a lot longer because when Eila was conscious they would usually be in a makeout session not long after the first article of clothing had been removed. But with Eila asleep, it was boring for Sanya.  
Sanya began to remove her own clothes, her tie was followed to the floor by the rest of her attire within a minute.  
The silver haired witch was concerned though, Eila was seriously overworking herself.  
The commander was not going to be impressed. Sanya shuddered at the though of Minna finding out their secret. Although she tried to shake the thought off while she climbed into the bed, it clung to her mind, playing tricks with the outcome.  
Eila opened an eye as Sanya crawled up next to her.  
"Sanya..." She said quietly, reaching out to pull Sanya in closer. Sanya happily wiggled up closer to her girlfriend.  
"Thank you Eila. But please be more careful, you're completely exhausted." Sanya lay on her side, and held Eila's hand with her own. She watched as Eila's chest rose and fell in a set rhythm.  
"But I had to be there. I can't let you fight alone... Knowing about-"  
"Hush. Just sleep please Eila. You need to rest." Sanya shifted around slightly so she could stroke Eila's head with her other hand, putting the Suomi at ease. Eila fell asleep almost immediately, her soft snores were music to Sanya's ears, and she smiled happily.  
Once she was sure that Eila was definitely asleep, Sanya changed position again, this time she was lay on her front, one arm around Eila's waist and the other under their pillow. It was fairly comfortable. So Sanya stayed that way.

[LINEBREAK]

"Minna!" Gertrud had finally managed to catch up with the redhead. Minna was almost at her office. Minna didn't turn at all. Gertrud placed a hand on her shoulder, before pulling Minna into an embrace.  
"Minna, it's okay." There was a sob from Minna, and Gertrud gave her head a stroke. Minna turned around and cried into her best friends chest. Minna wasn't sure why she was crying. Well there were many reasons for her to cry, but she got the feeling that it was hormones causing trouble.  
Gertrud opened the door to the office, and slid inside, shutting the door behind them. Minna gripped the brunette's arms and wailed into Gertrud's soft breasts. As slowly and smoothly as possible, the captain moved them so that they were sat on the couch together. Gertrud embraced Minna as hard as she dared, her chest snuffed out most of the sobs.

When Minna was calm, she sat back up, and leant of Gertrud's shoulder. The brunette took a breath.  
"Minna, I need to talk to you."  
Minna opened a puffy eye curiously.  
"I don't think you understand what you're doing to the Major," Barkhorn said softly, "she's honestly worried sick about you, she exhausted her magic power flying home because she was terrified of you flying."  
Minna stayed silent.  
"Please Minna. All of us are concerned about you, and when you go into these crazy moods and pull some stunt, and it breaks me... You've helped me out so much, and I want to help you."  
"But Trude... I can't do this... I don't want to be like this-"  
"You told Georgette you would die for that child."  
"You heard that?!"  
"Yes. And I'm not going to let you give up Minna."

[LINEBREAK]

"All I need to do is say sorry?" Minna asked for the hundredth time. It was at the point where Gertrud thought the answer was obvious, but she still answered.  
"Yes Minna. And tell her you won't do it again."  
Minna nodded slowly.  
"But I don't want her to fly either..."  
Gertrud sighed. Her Commander and the Majr were both stubborn. Very stubborn.  
"I'll get Miyafuji to talk to her..."  
"But I want to tell her myself... But she never listens to me..." Minna growled.

[LINEBREAK]

"Oiiiiiiii!!! Majorrrrr!!!!" The call interrupted Mio's concentration, and she swung her body around to face the doorway. In which, a certain Liberion stood, feet spread apart, hands on her hips, looking cocky as ever. Mio sighed.  
"Yeager."  
The ginger witch had interrupted Mio's mediation. Meditation wasn't something Mio usually did, as she likes to train to keep her mind off things, but today she felt as if she honestly needed to reflect.  
"How's it going?" Shirley said softly, Mio turned back around and resumed her meditation. When Mio didn't answer, Shirley entered and sat down next to the black haired witch. With a little stiffness of the joints, Shirley eventually crossed her legs, placed her hands on her knees and closed her blue eyes.  
She breathed in and out in a steady pace, although a little loudly if anything, earning a deep sigh from Mio.  
After a few minutes a loud fart ripped through the gentle silence.  
"Sorry." Shirley chuckled, and scratched the back of her head. With greatest caution she cracked open an eye and took a sneaky glance at the girl next to her. Mio still had an expressionless look on her face, not a single hint of a smile. Shirley closed her eye in disappointment. The Major was so stubborn.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small warning: This chapter contains M rated material.

After a few long hours of meditation, Mio had made the decision to go to dinner.  
After the choice was made, Shirley had immediately stood up to stretch her numb legs.  
"How do you even do this for hours Major?" The ginger complained. Mio slowly stood up, slightly stretching but trying not to show it.  
"Practise," She said quietly. Shirley raised her eyebrows but spoke no more.  
The two had strolled casually down the corridors. They weren't natural friends, and if up to them they probably wouldn't have interacted with each other. But they had the luck to be placed in the same fighter wing, and bonded just as quickly as their other teammates did. They had recently become closer as of Minna's pregnancy. Mio had found a friend in Shirley, as well as a comrade, and had discovered that they could talk about many things together and it wasn't awkward. Well it was a little, but as soon as they got around the blushes everything was fine.

Shirley let out a little whistle as the constant murmur of the dining room came into earshot. There were certain things that could be distinguished in the chatter, such things like Lucchini shouting for more or seconds, Barkhorn ranting to Erica about pride, Yoshika and Lynne clashing around in the kitchen.  
"Yo!" Shirley shouted as they turned to corner into the dinning room. She was greeted with a chorus of "Hi" and "Hello" and "Good Evening". The busty teen gave her comical smile and walked fully into the room, followed by the quiet major. Shirley took her usual seat next to Barkhorn and set about teasing the Karlslandian. Mio hadn't wanted to interact with Minna in the duration of their meal, but the only seat left happened to be the chair next to the redhead; so the major had to take it. With not so much as a sigh, but not so little as silence, Mio sat down. Her meal was already on the table and it consisted of the usual rice, but instead of natto Yoshika and Lynne had treated the witches to a curry. The curry wasn't spicy, because it had turned out that spicy had been very unpopular when previously made, therefore the two cooks had resolved to improve their curry.  
Mio tenderly picked up her fork and scooped a forkful of the food into her mouth. Is tasted good. The rice was exactly how Mio liked it, and the curry was also to her liking, so therefore she ate it.  
Sanya made a brief appearance, to collect food and a drink for Eila. According to the Orussian, Eila still hadn't woken up. Sanya wasn't worried, because she knew that she was just exhausted but she knew in the back of her mind that Eila wasn't going to be very happy when she woke up. Minna had ordered restraints to be equipped to Eila's striker and it was to be locked up so Eila couldn't access it. That was where it was going to remain for the next two weeks, as Eila was serving another sentence of house arrest. She had only just been relieved of her last sentence.  
Being the last at the table, Mio was further behind the others in terms of how much she had eaten. When no more than a few forkfuls had gone from her plate, some plates were clean and other witches started to leave the table. Even Shirley finished before Mio, and managed to get out of the room undetected. It ended up with just Mio and Minna sat at the table, alone.  
Minna was swirling her cold coffe around with the end of a spoon, not really paying Mio any attention. Mio, on the other hand, was watching Minna carefully. Her eye followed any and every movement the redhead made. Mio didn't even hide her gaze, not until she noticed Minna watching her. When she eventually noticed that Minna's focus was now on her, Mio looked quickly away with a huff, but she wasn't quick enough. Their eyes met for a brief second, and each knew what the other was thinking.  
After the quiet aura between subdued, Mio spoke up.  
"Why did you fly Minna?" She said quietly. The words weren't harsh nor cold, just curious, with a bit or concern creeping in. Minna sighed and broke the gaze they had been maintaining till that point.  
"Y-You wouldn't understand..."  
Mio reached across the table and took Minna's hand in her own. Minna looked up, her own red eyes meeting with Mio's intense grey one.  
"Minna. I love you. And even if I could never understand why you did it, you need to understand that I have to fly, it's part of who I-"  
"MIO! No! You need to understand! You aren't just by yourself anymore! What would I do if you got killed out there? I can't manage a child by myself! I would barely be able to manage myself!" 

Mio stayed silent for a bit, reflecting on herself. She knew very well that her career as a witch was coming to an end. But she didn't want to accept that. Mio was a fighter, yet she knew even after she lost her powers she wouldn't be allowed to remain in the army. Minna wouldn't allow it. Even if it was a just training instruction role. Besides, Minna would need her closer to home, to get a different job to provide for them. At least she could still do her daily training.

"Minna, right now, I have to fly. Our wing needs somebody to Command them in battle."  
"Why can't Trude do it?"  
"She's not allowed, not until her promotion comes through... But Minna," Mio took both of Minna's hands in her own, " I promise, that I won't fly a striker ever again when she's promoted."  
Minna's eyes widened and a smile crept onto her face. Mio lost her balance as she was suddenly pulled into Minna's embrace. A couple of tears of happiness rolled down her face and Minna hugged Mio.  
"I promise I won't fly Mio... But until you won't... Promise me you'll come home to me."  
Mio nodded and wrapped her arms fully around Minna, feeling Minna's larger breasts meeting her own. That small movement was enough. Mio's sexual frustration up to had point had been controllable, but the thought of Minna's chest turned Mio on greatly, so much so that a pair of furry ears sprouted from her head, and a tail from behind. Mio herself didn't notice her familiar had merged, but Minna noticed as it was happening; the magical blue aura was a huge giveaway.  
Minna giggled childishly and released Mio. The Fusoan witch tilted her head sideways, confused at Minna's sudden outburst. With a grin on her face, Minna pointed to the two ears and Mio immediately turned crimson.  
"S-Sorry..." She stuttered, using up every ounce of willpower she had for her ears to disappear, alas, they did not. Minna finally got the hint she had been failing to spot for months when Mio was struggling to control her magic. With a sexy smile she wrapped her slim fingers around Mio's arms and pulled the black haired witch gently over to her. Mio blushed even more when Minna's soft hands trailed up her arms, across her back, and down her spine towards to ass. The hands continued their soft touches and cupped Mio's ass, then without warning Minna tugged, pulling Mio onto her lap. The redhead worked her hands inside the rear or Mio's bathing suit, loosening the tight clingy material and giving Mio's sweaty skin some air. Mio was straddling Minna and subconsciously she started to grind down. The feeling was extremely pleasurable.  
It was when a gasp escaped Mio's mouth that Minna realised where they were. To keep Mio quiet, Minna reattached her lips to Mio's and forcefully thrust her tongue in and out of Mio's mouth. The older girl's crotch began to dampen, leaving a moist patch on the slightly younger's leg. After their lips broke again Minna could barely utter the sentence she needed to.  
"W-we need to move Mio..." Minna whispered, shudders going through her body as Mio left small but noticeable love bites on Minna's neck. The dark haired girl grunted in response to the statement, but made no moves to dismount the red head.  
"Mio... Ah... Mmmm..... We really need to move..."  
With slow movements, Mio gently slid off Minna. She slid off fairly easily; Minna's leg was quite well lubricated with love juice.  
Walking to Minna's quarters shouldn't have taken long. Five minutes tops. But since it was two horny witches... It took a lot longer. Mio kept pinning Minna against the wall for what should've been a small kiss, which instead ended up to be a makeout session every time. Then if it wasn't Mio stopping their path, it would be the rest of the wing walking by causing Mio and Minna to hide in the shadows to prevent the wet patches between their legs from being spotted.  
Eventually they made it to Minna's bedroom. Minna had the bigger bed, so it was obvious that her quarters would be more practical for their needs. No sooner than the door being shut had Mio already started to dig in. She pressed her needy body against Minna's, trapping the redhead between herself and the wall. Minna made no moves of resistance as Mio held her there. The darker haired girl leaned in and began to nibble softly on Minna's ear, making sure that her teeth grazed the sensitive spots carefully. This action was rewarded by a light moan from Minna.  
The moan just fuelled Mio desire further, resulting in Minna's legs being forced apart by a muscly thigh, rubbing, stimulating her precious spot. Minna wanted to turn round so she could return some of the affection, since she knew Mio was especially turned on. With a swift movement, Minna flipped their positions , so that it was Mio that was against the wall. But Mio was facing towards Minna, unlike how Minna had been face planting the wall. 

Minna gave a sexy smile as she saw Mio's lustful face. Sweat plastered her dark bangs flat against her forehead, her mouth was parted with slightly laboured breathing and her eyes were wide, shininging with love and passion. While Minna was admiring Mio's beauty, the eyepatched witch took the chance to continue with marking Minna's pale neck. She wanted to make sure that Minna was completely marked as her own.

Minna jumped slightly as the lips attached themselves back to her neck, leaving sloppy kisses and red marks. Minna had wanted to switch the dominance, but Mio seemed inclined to keep it. Minna felt her legs become slightly wobbly and weak as hands trailed up and down her body, lightly grazing her sensitive skin. Mio felt the shift in weight and pulled Minna in closer to support her. With quick fingers, Minna began to undo Mio's jacket, rapidly making her way up the material in record time. It hung limply open, exposing Mio's blue swimsuit and tanned skin underneath. The redhead brought her hands up and gently started to caress the swimsuit clad chest of the fuso witch. The biting on Minna's neck became even more sloppy as Mio let out a loud moan. Minna smiled slyly to herself, knowing that she was getting back in control. 

Erect nipples could felt through the tight material as Minna pushed herself into Mio further. Minna could feel her own hardening in anticipation of the pleasure she would be receiving in a short while. As their bodies were pressed in close, the kisses became higher, trailing along Minna's jawline and then rejoining the lips again. Mio's tongue trailed Minna's lips asking for unneeded permission, and then slowly slid inside. Tensing, Minna's thighs clamped down on the leg between them and het emitting from one spot could be felt on Mio's leg. 

As their kiss grew more intense, as did their need for oxygen. When the two eventually broke apart a thin trail of saliva joined them to one another. Minna barely had the concentration to say a single word, let alone the sentence she needed to...

"Take me... To.... Bed..." She whispered, her tone of voice laced with lust. With a swift movement, Minna was swept off her feet, and with two arms Mio carried her to the huge bed. Minna was gently laid down. Mio immediately straddled her, then leant down to join their lips once again. The fusoan moaned into the Karlslanians mouth and their two familiars merged with their masters. Mio's short tail flicked and swished around, touching the sensitive inside of Minna's white thighs. Switching her balance point yet again, Mio tugged at the neat tie Minna wore around her neck. Once it was loose, she pulled it off and dropped it onto the floor. Then with quick fingers she began to attack the shirt that kept her apart from what she wanted most. The shirt too joined the tie on the floor. Freeing the breasts was next, the thing Mio always struggled with. But today, Minna's black bra had a front clasp, making Mio's job easier. With fumbling fingers the bra was eventually disposed of.

"Hahhhh ahhhh-h Mio...." Minna gasped, her world distorted for soft hands caressed her body. With clumsy hands she reached up and pulled Mio down into another kiss. The fusoan rocked her hips into Minna, grinding down in a set rhythm. 

Mio grinned, as she moved her lips from Minna's, to the jaw of the redhead. Mio began her journey, kissing along Minna's firm jawline, down her ever so sensitive neck, then down to her first target; Minna's breasts. As her sensitive orbs were kissed, Minna grasped the bedsheets and writhed around. Clearly her body was out of her control. Her soft moans rose in volume as Mio's stimulating activity went on. Mio then began to suck. She sucked with great determination. Minna would be marked as much as she possibly could. With a quick flick of her tongue, Mio approached Minna's nipple. Two hands softly rested on Mio's head, and the fusoan glanced up to look Minna in the eye. Commander Wilcke was incredibly flushed, her cheeks bright red and her eyes half closed. 

Hands danced down Minna's body, touching all of her curves and sensitive spots. Mio let out a protective growl in response to Minna's light moans and allowed her fingers travel down and rub Minna lightly over her pants. Minna melted. Her light moans and breathing became heavier while her legs jerked slightly. After checking that Minna was prepared, the black pants were torn away from her crotch down to her ankles, where they would remain for the next few minutes. Mio's slim fingers dipped to rub the length of Minna's slit. Juices immediately lubricated her fingers and Mio grinned.  
"Minnaaaa~~ You're so lewd~"  
Minna attempted a glare... It didn't quite work out, and instead Mio was grinning widely as Minna pouted.  
"You want it don't you?" Mio teased, and began to withdraw her fingers. Strands of sticky juice were stretched as the finger was moved further and further away from Minna's entrance. Something suddenly gripped Mio's wrist. It was a firm, desperate grab, one only Minna could've done. Mio gave Minna a sly smile when the redhead refused to release her.  
"You want it this badly?"  
"N-no..."  
Mio let out a chuckle and rejoined her finger with Minna's wet lips. Minna let out a satisfied murmur and the ever strong blush on her face became stronger. A sharp gasp escaped Minna's mouth as a finger entered her. Mio's hands trailed down her own body as she entered Minna's, and she pulled the crotch of her swimsuit to the side ready to satisfy herself. Slowly Mio pumped her slim finger in and out of Minna, while Minna's moans became louder and louder. Minna rocked her body into Mio, trying to get in a rhythm together, and when Mio thought Minna was ready, a second finger joined the first. Minna was tight. All the months of neglecting her sex life had tightened her muscles, but this was all the more pleasurable for her. As well as her fingers, Mio breathed her hot breath of Minna's heated crotch. Mio's moans were soft compared to Minna's, almost light in a way. Minna's moans were always the same, loud and lusty. But that's what Mio loved.  
Minna didn't know if she should tighten her muscles to feel more of Mio or not... But in the end she had no choice as she tightened and relaxed as per the will of her body. As Mio's pace quickened, Minna's moans got louder. Neither of them had any concern for who could hear them, or if they were keeping anybody awake. All that mattered was that they were with each other. There would of course be a knock on effect tomorrow, when blushing subordinates would try to avoid the couple at all times, give them space.  
But again, that didn't matter.  
As Minna was coming near her climax, Mio began to put a little more attention into herself; flicking and pinching her throbbing clit. With one final thrust, Mio felt Minna's walls tighten around her and both of her hands were flooded with juices. With another loud moan, Minna rode out her orgasm, while Mio simply collapsed between Minna's legs to enjoy her own.  
For a few minutes, the witches lay breathless on Minna's bed.  
Then, as she usually did, Mio removed her fingers and licked them clean, savouring every lick of the glorious taste. Minna was extremely sweet. Despite all the weird foods she ate, fruit must've been in her favour.  
Softly with her tongue Mio licked Minna. It reached inside all Minna's folds, tasting the delicious substance. Once satisfied with her yuri nectar, Mio slumped back down, only slightly satisfied with the orgasm she had given herself.  
"Mi...oh..." Minna whispered quietly and Mio nodded.  
"Yes Minna?"  
"Come here... I can get you off if you come and lie next to me..." Minna smiled that sexy smile of hers and patted the space next to her. Mio crawled up the bed to Minna's side, with a nervous smile resting on her face. Minna let out a giggle.  
"Mio... You're always so tense... Just relax... I'll do everything for you..." Slim hands grazed down Mio's body, and the Fusoan knew what was coming next.

[LINE BREAK]

Most of the 501st stood in a line outside the infirmary, all of them dressed in the bare minimum, meaning pants, as always, and bra's. Erica let out a large yawn and leaned tiredly back against the wall. She had been dragged out of bed way too early, and to be frank she wasn't that impressed by it either. It was 8AM, nobody had had breakfast, so stomachs were rumbling, and everybody was moody. Minna stood in front of the girls, still in uniform, and alongside her the Major stood with her legs shoulder width apart and arms folded. She too was in full uniform. With slight nervousness in her step, Minna walked so that all her subordinates could see her, and gave them a smile.  
It wasn't returned.  
"I'm sorry for calling you out so early, but last night I forgot to mention to you all that you had your routine checks today... Sorry..." Minna tried to keep her determined smile on her face and continued, "I know most of you have been through all this before, but I'll do a quick run through of what's going to happen. Just so you're prepared."  
The witches looked a little interested, especially Yoshika, who hadn't experienced one of the checks before.  
"First off it's going to be a physical examination. Just normal checks like weight, height... That sort of thing." There were mixed reactions from the witches, Minna just ignored them and carried on. "Afterwards we will let you eat breakfast, you will have half an hour to do so, then following that there will be a mental test." There were multiple groans. "It will be timed, and it is to test your problem solving ability. Third, we have physical fitness, which is pretty self explanatory, a lunch break, magical power tests and followed by an emotional evaluation."  
Minna waited and watched as the witches talked it out amongst themselves, and then asked for silence.  
"Minna what's an emotional evaluation? I've never had one before..."  
"Yeah it sounds weird... Can I opt out?"  
"Can I go back to bed?"  
"Trude, it's just to check your emotional state, that's all. No Eila unfortunately for you, opting out isn't a choice. And no, Erica you are going to stay here and take the tests." Minna sighed. It was going to be a long day.

[LINEBREAK]

Gertrud was stood with her back against the hard wall of the hall. Normally she would be stood upright being a proud Karlsland solider, but not today. Today she was exhausted. Today she just wanted the series of awful tests to be over. As if dealing with lousy Erica wasn't enough, Gertrud also had to deal with the over excited Lucchini who wouldn't settle down. The young witch had finally grown enough to be granted a first proper training bra and she would not shut up about it. Trude hadn't been allowed to have breakfast, as there was still just one more to go, which was Shirley. Everybody was hungry. Lucchini was lying on the floor, moaning loudly for food, no longer loud and energetic. Everyone else was just trying to deal with it quietly.  
Trude had to deal with the boredom of waiting and hunger for longer than the others. Being first alphabetically she was brought into the infirmary first, where they carried out the usual tests.

Gerturd's height hadn't changed much, neither had her weight, her eyesight was still perfect, although her bust size had gone up, which was annoying for her, since she hated her large chest anyway. 

The only test Gertrud actually had a problem with was the urine test. Having somebody check her pee made her nervous, and unlike most she didn't need to pee when she was nervous, instead it gave her a bladder of steel.  
So it had taken 20 minutes and four and a half bottles of water before Trude could will herself to pee in the shallow bowl, which was then taken away by the nurse that had been watching her for the entire duration of that time. Although they always locked down on things like that, it still gave Trude bad feelings and made her slightly anxious about certain things.

The biggest issue that had come up was that Eila didn't want Sanya to be tested. Sanya herself remained guiltily quiet, while Eila argued with Minna. Eila insisted that Sanya didn't need to take the test, and the Orussian was too tired to take them. While Minna knew it was her fault for not telling them and taking Sanya off night patrol, it was against military rules for her to not ensure the tests were complete. So with a lot of arguing, Eila was finally dragged into the infirmary for her own tests, while Minna told Sanya she would be having her tests, no matter what Eila said. 

Now the couple were sat together in a corner, talking with hushed voices. Well Sanya's voice was hushed. You could hear Eila's angry remarks from the other side of the room. Eila was also trying to cover Sanya's little body from the rest of the witches. Not that anybody would look that way, they were all terrified of what would happen if they did.

Shirley reentered the hallway with a large grin on her face.  
"Yay! Shirley is back! We can have breakfast!" Lucchini exclaimed, and ran towards Shirley with her arms open wide. Shirley scooped the little girl up and tossed her in the air. Lucchini squealed in joy and waved her arms around.  
Minna, who had been observing the tests in the infirmary, walked out after Shirley, with a glum look on her face.  
"Most of you can go and get dressed, but I need to speak to a few people about some results..." Minna said, watching the different reactions. Eila tensed up immediately and almost growled at Minna.  
"Just Lynne and Perrine, that's all." The redhead said, turning back around. "Come in one at a time..."  
Eila and Sanya were long gone before anybody could say a word. Perrine's shoulders sagged and Lynne's head hung low as she did a walk of shame. The rest of the witches filtered to their room to get dressed, some speeding ahead wanting to be first for breakfast. Lynne decided to go first back into the infirmary, and get it over with.  
Minna gave her a reassuring smile as she sat down, but Lynne felt uneasy. She already knew what Minna was going to ask about, and she didn't want to hear it. The busty girl looked down at her hands purposely avoiding Minna's gaze.  
"Lynette, please calm down." Minna's voice was soft and caring, which helped soothe Lynne a little.  
"You know what it's about I take it?"  
Lynne nodded.  
"Okay, so the tests have shown us that you've been losing quite a bit of weight lately,"  
Lynne looked down, embarrassed.  
"That's fine, but the doctors are saying that you can't lose anymore, or it could make you underweight, but we don't want that happening. So all you've got to do is make sure you eat all the meals we give you, okay?" Minna patted Lynne's shoulder. Lynne nodded.  
"You can go and get dressed now. We're going to monitor your weight and make sure you are eating enough too." Minna said with a warm smile. Lynne nodded once more then stood and left. Perrine entered a minute later, and she too knew what Minna wanted to talk about. Perrine didn't look very well at all. She was ghostly pale most of the time, and made herself scarce form the watchful gazes of her comrades. Minna looked her in the eyes and began to talk.  
"I'm sure you're aware too, Perrine, of why I'm keeping you back,"  
Perrine looked down and at feet, breaking the gaze Minna held with her.  
"You're underweight. Very underweight. It's dangerous to your health, and if you lose any more you might have hospitalised due to lack of nutrition. Your body isn't gong be able to handle the strain of using your magic and looking after itself, so I'm temporarily relieving you of duty until you are at or above an average weight. Is that clear?" Minna said sharply.  
"Yes Ma'am." Perrine muttered.  
"We'll be making sure you are eating all your meals, and you will be weighed in here after breakfast every morning without fail, understand?"  
"Yes Ma'am."  
Minna's tone of voice turned softer once the problems had been dealt with. "Now go and freshen up, you don't want to be late for breakfast."  
Although Perrine didn't look up, Minna still smiled at the Gallian as she shuffled out of the room.  
Minna sighed and looked down at the results sheet for the witches. The only results that needed to be filled in were the outcomes for the blood test and urine test.

[LINEBREAK]

"Okay everybody settle down!" The Majors distinctive voice boomed throughout the meeting room; the room where the mental ability test would be sat. The witches seemed to be having trouble keeping quiet and calm. Mio was out in charge for this task, as Minna was getting her physical examination done. Neither of them had to take the mental ability test because it was felt unnecessary for the two highest ranking witches of the wing. Mio sighed as she watched the younger witches fumble around in their seats trying to get comfortable.  
"You will have forty minutes to complete this test, and from the second I start the timer if any of you utter a single word, you will fail!" Mio ran her eyes over the most likely subjects to speak: Lucchini, Eila and Erica. "All witches under sixteen raise your hands!"  
Yoshika, Francesca and Sanya raised their hands.  
"As Junior Witches, you will be sitting the easier exam. The rest of you will be sitting the harder one, no excuses. Any questions?"  
Before anyone could raise their hand, Mio slammed her hand down.  
"Your time starts now!" 

The witches turned over their test papers and almost immediately you could see some struggling. As a Karlsland solider, Barkhorn set straight to work on her test, easily doing the working without writing the method. Mental tasks- well any tasks - were a breeze for the Karlslandian and she was done with hers before many were halfway through. But she did not rest like any normal human being would, she sat with a straight back, arms folded watching the clock in front of her. 

No more than five minutes into the test, Sanya dropped into a well deserved sleep. Instead of finishing her own test, Eila swapped hers and Sanya's sheets around and proceeded to fill in the blank spaces. The Suomi was anxious about what would happen to Sanya if she failed, and would rather have herself be punished. So Eila spent the entire forty minutes perfecting Sanya's paper.

Erica managed to somewhat do most of the test. She kept going into a daydream about whether potatoes were better boiled or roasted. In the end the blonde never did come to a conclusion, and most of her answer boxes contained words that had nothing to do with the question and instead were related to potatoes in some way shape or form. Yoshika found her test very easy. That was about right though, because she was the oldest Junior Witch. 

"Okay! Times up! Pens down!" Some of the girls jumped in surprise when the major yelled out. Sanya lifted her head drowsily, then blinked in confusion when her paper had all the answers filled in for her. She received a wink from Eila, and returned the wink with a tired smile.

"Soliders stand! Without touching a single paper, leave the room and wait outside in an orderly fashion."  
Eila grabbed Sanya's hand and led her out, following the rest of the group.  
Mio left the meeting room after collecting the papers and joined the girls in the hall.  
"Okay! Now you have physical fitness! Minna is waiting for you outside! Hop to it!" To prove a point, the Fusoan smacked her sword's sheath of the stone ground, causing the witches to scurry away.

[LINEBREAK]

The Physical test had been exhausting. Starting with a hundred meter sprint, it then flowed into a long distance four laps around the base, finishing with push-ups, sit-ups and weight lifting, however only the older witches could do the weightlifting because it was thought to damage the muscles of the younger.  
The results were rather average.  
For the sprint, starting with the fastest time:  
1st- Shirley  
Gertrud  
Eila  
Perrine  
Erica  
Lynne  
Lucchini  
Yoshika  
Sanya

And for the long distance, starting with the shortest time.  
1st- Gertrud  
Shirley  
Erica  
Perrine  
Yoshika  
Lynne  
Lucchini  
Eila  
Sanya

And obviously Gertrud won all the endurance and strength tasks, being the fittest witch on the base, plus her magic gave her a good advantage over the others. Minna was quite disappointed, because Eila was getting distracted by Sanya in all her tests, usually the Orussian had enough energy to comeplete her tasks, but not today. Both Suomus and Orussian witches collapsed over the finishing line ten minutes behind the others. Eila had tried to piggyback Sanya round twice and was so physically exhausted she couldn't do a single push-up. Sanya didn't even attempt the push-up and lay down next to Eila, resting her head lightly on Eila's stomach.  
In the end Gertrud slung Eila over her shoulder and gathered Sanya in her arms and returned them to their quarters for the lunch break. One of the young kitchen staff took them their lunch. It is unknown if they ate it or not.  
However it wasn't long before they had to be dragged out of the comfort of their room again for the fourth test; Magical power.

Each witch would be given a series of challenges to solve using their inherent magical ability, then their power would be tested to check how much power that certain witch had, and to sum it up their shield would be put to the test.

For once Gertrud was put the the back of the que because her magic was quite destructive if not used correctly, and the examiners didn't want the equipment breaking after the first witch. So instead Shirley got her chance to go first. The tests took place in the hangar and outside the base so the witches had all the room they needed for whatever came their way. Since Shirley's magic, Speed Boost, was fairly straightforward and even used subconsciously, the tests were easy enough. She simply had to fly as fast as she could and that was that.  
Until the assessors shot a beam at her.  
The beam was a replica Neuroi beam, and was put on the weakest setting. The shield of the chosen witch would be under careful moderation as the beam settings went up, and when the shield couldn't take the beam anymore, that was what the examiners called 'Top Shield'. Once this state was achieved, the beam wave was recorded and the highest level beam was recorded. The witch with the highest beam number had the most powerful shield. 

Once Shirley had achieved her top shield, they examiners began the tests for the next witch, which happened to be Yoshika. Since her magic was healing magic, they tested the extent of her powers by a similar test to the shield test. Examiners were amazed to see her shield though, it was one of the most powerful they had ever tested. Of course the rest of the witches knew that, but it as nice to have it confirmed.

[LINEBREAK]

By the end of the tests, everybody was exhausted. The emotional evaluation had been very simple, and probably unneeded. Yet it still had to be done. 

But it was over. Minna gave her subordinates a smile as they left for the bath, moaning and groaning about achey joints and sore muscles. Now Minna had to look over the data collected then record it in the witches' files. She steadily made her way to the infirmary, for she needed to collect the results of the urine and blood tests. Then she could sink into her soft bed, with her warm girlfriend curled up next to her. As Minna entered the infirmary, she saw Eila and Sanya talking quietly in the hallways; they must've decided to skip the bath. But as Minna approached them, Eila muttered something under her breath then grabbed Sanya's hand and they moved away. 

Minna didn't try to follow them, but she was seriously starting to suspect something with them. Eila had been very jumpy recently, and sometimes even the slightest thing would catch her off guard. But for now, she would leave it. With a sigh she carried on to the infirmary, which was just round the corner. The redhead carefully opened the door, her eyes meeting the now tidy room; all the of test equipment had been packed away. The only thing left as evidence for tests were the results in the form of files on each of the witches. With an exhausted sigh Minna took the files and tucked them under one arm. She could barely be bothered to go through them, but it was her duty...

Finally, Minna was settled down in her office. Coffee in one hand, reports in the other.  
She didn't get off to a good start, after reading the first file she spat her coffee everywhere while coughing and sputtering at the report, which happened to be Sanya's.


	12. Chapter 12

"Mio but how could this happen?! Were we not careful enough? I knew we should've had a meeting about this kind of thing!" Minna cried out, the piece of paper in her hand was getting battered about as she smacked it on her desk repeatedly.  
Mio bit her lip, but tried hopelessly to be of some comfort to Minna.  
"We don't know that she is for definite... It could just be an error in the recording of the results?" Mio had failed to even make herself feel better about the situation.  
"This is going to react so badly on us! But not just us! Everybody is going to think this wing is full of irresponsible witches!" Minna slammed the report down again. The sound it made as it smacked against the desk was satisfying, but not satisfying enough, for the frustration inside her still bubbled steadily.  
"Mio... What are we going to do?" Minna wailed. Mio steadily walked around the large desk between them, and then stood behind Minna's chair. Gently with her skilled hands, Mio began to caress Minna's shoulders, softly running her fingers over Minna's back. Minna was very tense. As Mio continued to soothe Minna's muscles, she spoke up quietly.   
"Minna you should let me do this properly for you some time... You're so stressed..."   
Minna nodded, her eyes closing slowly. They carried on closing...  
Until the thought of what she was trying to forget popped back into Minna's head and her face screwed up into a frown again. And the peace was disturbed as there was a sharp knock at the door. Without giving a second thought, Minna called them in. Unsurprisingly, her guest was Trude, however the surprising thing about her was the Karlslandian was dressed in nothing but a towel that clung tightly around her wet body. Trude's hair dripped and damp pools in her carpet were forming where her feet were.  
"Minna!" She roared, "Ensign Lucchini has peed in the bath.... AGAIN!"   
Gertrud was clearly frustrated. She was very red in the face, which could've been a result of the heated bath, but Minna was almost certain that it was anger that made her flush like that.  
Minna sighed in a frustrated way and stood up.  
"Minna I'll go...." Mio tried to push Minna down, but the strong minded Karlslandian firmly stood up and looked Mio in the eyes.  
"No I'm going." The redhead began to walk towards the door, so Mio followed. Even if Minna was going, Mio would go anyway. Trude stepped to the side to allow her superiors to pass by, then with an angry march she followed their lead. 

A short while later, a particular blonde wondered into the same office.  
"Oyyyyyy! Minnnnaaaaa.... " A loud yawn interrupted Erica's sentence, as she stumbled tiredly through the door. The lazy solider blinked wearily in confusion when she saw the empty room.   
"I guess she's not here... " Erica's body moved by itself and dragged her around the room. The Karlslandian took very little interest in her surroundings, and instead let her thoughts run wild with memories of previous times.   
Times when she first met Minna and Trude, and how they were at first distant and unsure with each other. But now they were all very close, which gave Erica a reason to smile everyday.   
With an exclamation, it became apparent that Erica had walked straight into Minna's solid oak desk. She hopped around holding her foot and groaning as the pain shot up her leg from the toe. The blonde flopped into Minna's chair while cursing loudly the the object right in front of her.  
"Damn this stupid desk! Why was it even in my way?!" Erica thought to herself, holding her bare foot. In the middle of her moment of pain, she noticed something. A file was hanging limply out of one of the drawers in Minna's desk. The bottom draw to be precise, the one that was usually locked with a key. Curiosity got the better of Erica, and even though she knew she shouldn't, she reached for the file. A soft tug was all it took; the file was free.   
There was a sense of suspicious mystery surroundings the file, and Erica just needed to discover what it was. 'Confidential' was stamped clearly on the front of the file, but since when has something like that ever stopped Erica? The blonde opened it without a second thought and groaned when she saw the first page was full of words.  
"Why is all this so boring?" Despite the anxious desire to know what the file said, Erica simply skipped through all the boring writing and turned to the next page. The title was 'Transfers'.  
"Well this looks interesting.... I didn't know we were getting a new transfer..."   
The curiosity that the blonde held turned to shock as she read the list of names under the heading. The names of the 501st.  
And even worse; where they were transferring to.  
"Minna's disbanding us?! But why?! I thought Trude would take charge?!" Erica's thoughts were spoke out loud, and she frowned at the document in front of her.   
However there were footsteps coming down the hall, so Erica didn't get to think about it much. Instead in fright she shoved the crumpled documents down the waistband of her pants then tugged her jacket and shirt over the bulge, hoping that her crime was covered. She hurriedly turned round to face whoever was approaching the doorway.   
"Hartmann?" The major cocked an eyebrow at the blonde, who was sweating badly. "What are you doing in here?"   
Erica gulped and pulled her jacket further down over the papers.  
"I-I was looking for Minna..."   
Mio eyed Erica suspiciously, looking up and down the nervous girl.  
"Something wrong?" Mio asked, but Erica viciously shook her head. With narrowed eyes Mio stepped fully into the room.   
"Minna is dealing with an issue in the bath, is it important? I can listen if you want..."   
Did the Major know about this letter? Did she influence Minna's decision? Erica didn't know, but she desired to find out.  
"N-no... It's okay, I'll just wait for Minna... " Erica edged towards the doorway, which was inconveniently close to the Major.   
"I see... I'll let her know that you asked for her."   
"Thanks..." Erica was close to the door, and quickly turned down the hallway as the Major finished speaking. Once out of view of the office, she broke into a run and dashed down the halls. One hand held the bulge in her pants still, the other was thrown out in front of her, to protect her against incoming obstacles. It wasn't very efficient.  
Erica hit one obstacle with such a force she sent them both flying backwards. The obstacle turned out to be Trude, returning from the bath. As she had fallen, the Karlslandians towel had come undone leaving her fully exposed on the floor.  
"Erica?!? Watch where you're going for Karlsland's sake!" Trude yelled, fumbling for her towel. She stopped being mad when she noticed that Erica wasn't moving. For a long minute the brunette sat and stared and the blonde who was lay flat on her stomach. For a short minute Erica tried to go over what she would say to Trude.  
"Erica? Are you alright?" A slight edge of worry was creeping into Trude's voice as Erica still hadn't reacting to body-slamming a comrade.   
Gertrud leant over and gently touched Erica. The younger girl tensed a little, but otherwise didn't react.   
"Erica I'm serious! Stop playing around!" Gertrud began to shake Erica, a little viciously. But thankfully Erica finally saw sense and decided to actually speak to Trude, instead of pretending to be part of the hard stone floor. When Erica began to speak she tried to keep her voice level and calm. It wasn't really working, but she tried.  
"Trude... Did Minna tell you what was going to happen to the wing?"   
"What? When she is going on leave?"   
Erica nodded.  
"She said that she's sent off for my promotion and that I'll be in charge..."   
Erica sighed deeply and reached into her pants.  
"Trude... Minna has been lying to us..." Erica offered Gertrud the crumpled papers.  
Of course Trude was very hesitant to take them at first: they had been down Erica's pants.... And nobody wants to know where the pants had been... But in the end she did take them, and immediately blew up about the stamp on the front.  
"Erica!" She hissed, "Do you know what this is?!?"   
Before Erica could even answer, Trude grabbed her harshly by the arm and began to drag her down the hall. The brunette almost threw Erica into the bathroom, and then followed in herself, locking the door carefully. She then spin round and slammed Erica against the wall.  
"Where did you get this?!? It's says confidential!!!" The file was thrust at Erica, who gulped loudly.   
"...M-Minna's office..."   
"YOU TOOK THIS FROM MINNA'S OFFICE?!? HARTMANN WHAT WHERE YOU THINKING?!? MINNA WILL KILL YOU!"   
Both of them knew that Minna wouldn't kill Erica. Although the she would be furious, she loved them too much to kill them. Although the superiors who issued the file probably would.   
"We need to return this now!" Trude grabbed Erica's arm and made to leave the toilet.   
"We can't," Erica mumbled quietly, "the Major is in there..."  
Trude face palmed in distress and growled deeply. She turned to look Erica in the eyes.  
"You are returning this as soon as possible. I mean it Erica!" With a loud sigh Trude continued.   
"Let's go back to our room and hide this... Then at the first chance we get you will return this..." Trude shoved the file into Erica's hands and opened the door slowly.   
"Eh? Trude! I don't want it!" The shorter blonde tried to stuff the file down the front of her friend's towel, failing in the process and instead the towel just came loose and fell off.  
"Well I can't hide it! Shove it up your shirt or something!"   
Erica gave a huffy sigh and shoved the papers back in her pants. Trude's expression was a mixture of shock and disgust, yet she decided to leave the matter for later; she could always yell at Erica then.   
As the two crept down the hallway they remained on alert in case any of the other withes were to pass by. Not only they looked suspicious, but the bulge in Erica's pants was not natural for a female... And questions would surely get asked.   
Eventually they made it to their room, and once inside Trude slammed the door shut. Unfortunately the doors on their personal quarters did not have locks, for safety reasons, so the two had to be careful of who was to wonder in. Erica collapsed onto the floor and dug the papers out of her pants.   
"Trude... You need to read this... It's important..." Erica pleaded and shoved the wad of paper at Trude. Gertrud pushed them away and hitched up her towel so it fully covered her breasts.  
"No I'm not getting involved with your crimes..." She turned away.  
"Trude... Please... Y-you aren't going to be in charge..."  
Something about Gertrud's attitude changed.  
"W-what do you mean?! There's nobody else to do it!" The proud Karlslandian solider gave a weak laugh. Erica opened the files and turned to Trude's page.  
"Name, Gertrud Barkhorn. Age, 18. Rank, Captain. Transfer location, Fuso Navy." Erica read the words slowly, letting it sink in as she watched Trude's face change from her normal, neutral expression, to one of shock.  
"Give me that!" Trude snatched the papers from Erica and her face paled as she read them. The towel that she had be grasping so tightly fell and exposed her breasts. But Trude was frozen.  
"E-Erica... T-this isn't true right? It's just one of your pranks, right?!"   
Erica emotionlessly shook her head.   
"I'm sorry Trude...it's not..."  
"Y-you mean... I'm not going back to Karlsland? I'm not going home to Chris....?" Trude's eyes widened in horror at the thought of not being near her little sister. Erica shook her head sadly, and watched and Trude sank to her knees.  
"Chris... Erica..."   
Erica crawled across the floor and hugged the brunette from behind. Trude felt muscular and tense, and her body kept heaving with sobs. The blonde wrapped her arms tightly around her and leant in close to Trude's ear.  
"Please don't worry Trude..." Her words were of no comfort and Trude continued to fall into a despairing state.   
"I don't want to leave you... It hurts..."   
Erica hugged tighter as Trude cried out that sentence. If she was being honest, Erica was not expecting this kind of reaction from Trude... The reaction she was expecting was much more soldierly and stoic. But who knew!? Trude had FEELINGS!   
Erica shook off the teasing instinct that had crept up on her, and instead tried to act motherly while Trude sobbed. Tears found their way to Erica's eyes and the blonde fought hard to keep them back; but she lost the battle.  
She too was left crying uncontrollably, howling silently into Trude's back. All the memories they had together... All the pain and strife they had been through... And now they were being split.   
She would never get yelled at by the brunette in the morning. Trude would have no need for discipline prep talks anymore. They wouldn't have each other's warmth and comfort through hard times... Nor that same sense of fun when Erica would cause trouble...  
It was all gone... Shattered... Destroyed... Gone...  
After Trude had managed control herself, she gently pushed Erica off and stood back up.   
"Trude?"  
"Erica we need to hide the papers..."  
"You can take them~" Erica grinned.  
"What?! NO! You stole them!"  
"Fine... I'll keep them in my trash heap..."  
"YOU CANT DO THAT!"  
"You hide them then."  
"Urgh..."  
Trude took the papers to her bed, instead of fighting through Erica's junk she thought it would be better to hide them in her space. So she simply pushed them under her bed.  
Erica face palmed.  
"Trude that is the worst hiding place ever."  
"S-shut up! At least they won't get lost!"

[MEANWHILE]

"Lucchini, you really need to stop peeing in the bath... It's not funny anymore..." Shirley sighed loudly.   
"I didn't mean to! You shouldn't tickle me!" The cheeky twintailed girl pouted and folded her arms.   
"I didn't know you would just let it loose like that! Seriously next time go before you get in..."   
The two girls were sat listening to Minna's lecture inside the changing rooms. The bath was going to be completely drained and cleaned, and would probably be up and running by the following day. But the witches would have to finish their current washes either in the upstairs or basement shower blocks.  
"Finish up quickly, because we are having an early dinner tonight, as I have some business to wrap up afterwards. Please let the others know..." Minna said, ending her long rant. Shirley and Lucchini nodded, and pretended they had been listening the whole way through like Lynne and Yoshika, who were sat next to them.   
"Now, as for your punishment, Francesca you will be cleaning the toilets for the next two weeks as well as extra training with Mio."  
"Ha!" Shirley snorted and poked her younger friend in the ribs. Lucchini squealed and growled.  
"That's not fair! It was Shirley's fault!"  
"I know, and that's why Captain Yeager will be serving your punishment with you." Minna chuckled to herself as she watched Shirley's attitude change, and with the sigh the ginger gave her response.  
"Yes ma'am..."  
"Okay! Dismissed!" 

[BREAK]

It was just after dinner and just like Minna had said, she had business to wrap up. The witches in question has been called to Minna's office, and we're now sat on the red couch. Eila and Sanya. Eila was nervous and jittery, her legs were shaking noticeably. Sanya appeared to be calm, she rested her pale hand on Eila's thigh, trying to reassure Eila. 

Both girls looked sick. Eila was a wreck, she had lost some weight with worry too. Her blue uniform hung off her in an awkward manner, her belt on the tightest notch. Eila's purple eyes were dull; cloudy without their normal mischievous glint.  
Sanya wasn't much better off. The dark rings under her eyes suggested a lot of sleepless nights and worry. Although it wasn't very noticeable, Sanya's hair had been falling out. However, Eila had noticed because they spent a lot of time together, and it made her worry more because she thought it was stress that has caused it to fall. She would sometimes go in to hug Sanya and large clumps would detach for no apparent reason. 

Minna stood up and went to sit on the couch opposite the couple.   
"Thanks for cooperating with me, Eila, Sanya." Minna smiled as she spoke, to try and make the two feel more at ease. Mio was stood by the doorway, watching the scene. Minna had originally invited Mio to sit on the couch with her, but the Major insisted on standing by the door; just in case Eila tried to run for it.  
"We got the results back from your health tests... And I'm sure you're aware of this already, but Sanya, you're pregnant."   
Sanya's head dropped and she gazed at her lap, trying to ignore everything. Eila was frozen, as if the news was new to her. Of course it wasn't, but her commander finding out that she impregnated her girlfriend is a hard thing to digest. Tears began to drip down Sanya's face and Eila also lowered her head in shame. Minna felt a pang of sympathy towards to younger couple. They clearly weren't prepared for this...  
"Everything's going to be fine... I promise... Mio and I will help you to get through this," Minna hoped her words would comfort the couple. They didn't.   
"Sanya,"  
The silver haired witch looked up in response to her name, her eyes were dripping with tears.  
"You're relieved of duties, I want you to rest in the your room. Eila, you will take over Sanya's night patrol until further notice, but first I want you to also rest. Neither of you look well."   
The two nodded miserably.   
"But at some point, I will have to notify my superiors, for you to go on leave. So you will have to attend a meeting. But for now, just rest." Minna gave them a small smile.  
Eila gave an exhausted sigh and stood up, she then offered Sanya her hand. The younger girl took it gratefully and Eila assisted her into a standing position. Hand in hand, they left the office.   
Minna sighed loudly, and Mio came and sat next to Minna.  
"Mio..." Minna mumbled and reached out to place her hand on Mio's. The Fusoan warrior smiled and twisted her hand around to clasp Minna's.   
"Minna... I've been thinking... About our leave..." Minna turned to look Mio in the eyes as she spoke.  
"I've been looking around for a place for us, and I think I've found somewhere that's perfect for us."  
Minna's eyes widened in surprise and joy.   
"Really?!"  
Mio nodded with a smile.  
"I've had my eye on it for a while and I spoke with the seller earlier. She said we could go and look round!"   
Minna sudden launched herself into Mio's arms and planted kisses across the Major's face. Mio smiled warmly and wrapped her arms around the soft body of her girlfriend. Kisses were exchanged between the couple; as well as some sly touches here and there. Eventually Minna released Mio and sat back in her seat.   
"Mio... When can we go?"  
"She said whenever we wanted to, as long as we tell her first."  
"I'll check the system then, and I'll see when the lowest chance of an attack is over the next few days.... I'm so excited Mio!"  
Mio smiled happily and wrapped her arm round Minna's shoulders. Minna placed another small peck on Mio's cheek, and tried to push all of her problems out of her mind for the moment. While Minna was happily dreaming of their place together, Mio shifted uncomfortably next to her, with a slight blush on her face.   
"I need to calm down..." Mio thought to herself, while the heat ebbed away in between her legs. "I swear, Minna doesn't have this problem... Maybe it's a Fusoan thing?"  
Minna moved around a little; now resting her hand on Mio's thigh, leaving Mio even more aroused. While trying to contain herself, Mio lose track of what Minna was doing, and the red haired witch was staring right at her once she found her again.  
"Mio? .... Are you...?"  
Mio nodded awkwardly, and the same lustful smile that appeared every time Mio announced her desires could be clearly seen on Minna's face.  
The younger girl licked her lips, and leaned in closer to Mio. Hands moved upwards to rest on erect breasts and lips clashed together in an epic battle for dominance.   
"Mio... Let's go back to my room... I don't want the couch stain-MIO!"   
Minna pushed her girlfriend, who had made a hasty attempt at getting into Minna's pants, away from her.  
"If you're good I'll get you off first~"  
Mio sighed and pull a face, but still stood up to leave.  
"I even locked the door for us..."  
"So you planned this?"  
"Well... Not exactly... But I thought just in case..."  
"Prepared as always I guess Mio..."  
"Nothing wrong with that is there?"   
"No... Let's just hurry back to our room, if you don't want your beloved couch to get stained..."  
"Fine then..."  
Minna took Mio's arm and squeezed gently.   
"Let's go~"


	13. Chapter 13

Rubbing her tired eyes, Trude sat up in her bed. The loud noises that had kept her awake for the last few hours were still ongoing.  
It was at that moment Gertrud Barkhorn regretted choosing the closest room to her commander. At the time of arriving at the base and setting rooms, it had seemed like an excellent idea to chose the room next to her best friend, but what she hadn't counted on was Minna ever getting a partner, much less her having loud, uncontrollable sex while her subordinates were trying to sleep. Gertrud sat up, frustrated and tired, with a tiny hint of something else creeping in.  
Sexual arousal.  
It wasn't something the proud solider experienced often, nor something she wanted to experience, but there it was. At first a tiny hint, but the hint grew bigger, and bigger. Until eventually Trude kicked her covers off and slammed her legs down on the bed; half of her was willing to march in there and rip them away from each other.  
But she was NOT going to do that. First of all, Minna would get mad. And when Minna gets mad, she gets REALLY mad. Secondly, it was embarrassing for both of them.  
Trude knew that her best friend would be horrified at the thought she had been overheard by one of her subordinates, and probably avoid her for the remainder of eternity. The Major wouldn't mind though... Only because she was too dense to be affected by embarrassment.  
Trude glanced over as Erica's side of the room. She couldn't even begin to imagine how unbelievably sweaty it must be over there, surrounded by piles of junk and useless items. How the younger blonde could stand the mess was beyond Trude's way of thinking.  
Trying to blot out the uncomfortable noises she could hear, the Karlslandian started to think about the transfer papers lying somewhere in the huge pile of Erica's dirty pants. Trude shuddered at the thought, and then wondered how many pairs of her own pants that she had forcibly put of Erica after the blonde had claimed to have lost all of hers.  
Gertrud sat up and scratched her upper thigh angrily. She swung her strong legs over the bed and pulled her tired body to her feet. With plodding steps she made her way to the door. To get away from the disturbing sounds coming from her neighbours, Barkhorn made the wise decision to go and get a drink and use the toilet.   
The hallway was breezy and the cold air seemed to attack her purposefully. The brunette hadn't bothered covering herself as she thought that there wouldn't be many people around early that morning. The further she passed down the hall, the quieter and more muffled the voices of Minna and Mio got. The feeling of new found silence was relieving. Trude interlocked her fingers and stretched them out in front of her, causing a series of cracks to echo off the walls.   
Gertrud hummed happily and danced around on the tiptoes. The happiness she had was not long lived, for when her feet left the ground for the third time they somehow managed to get caught up in one another resulting in Trude landing on the floor with a loud thud.

"URGH! Stupid floor...." She growled, then kicked out into the air. 

"Eila I don't want this..." A soft voice rose from the direction of the very bathroom the Karlslandian was heading to. Curious like a cat discovering something new, Gertrud pulled herself to her feet and crept forward towards the mysterious glow of the bathroom.   
"I know... But what if I do this.... To ease your pain...?" It went silent for a moment before Sanya spoke up again.  
"Stop it Eila... Just leave it..."  
"You'll feel better! Trust me!"  
"EILA STOP IT!" Sanya rarely raised her voice, and it was even rarer for her to have raised it at Eila. So her shouting like that surprised Trude.  
It also triggered something in her, and she suddenly stood up raced into the bathroom.   
"Juutilainen! Unhand her right now!" She shouted. Eila jumped and turned round in surprise. She was even more surprised to see the captain stood there in all her glory; legs spread wide, chest completely exposed and the captains nipples were oddly erect. Trude grabbed Eila by her pale arm and slammed her face down into the hard tiled floor.  
"OI! What are you doing you idiot?!?" Eila protested and growled angrily. Ignoring Eila, Trude turned to Sanya the silver haired witch was cowering next to the toilet. Her eyes were like that of a cat's when it was watching something of interest, although Sanya's emerald green eyes only reflected fear and shock.  
Visibly scared, the night witch nodded. Eila thrashed around underneath Trude.  
"Get off me!" She screeched.  
"No! I'm reporting you to Minna!"  
"I haven't done anything you stupid fuck!" Eila shouted and kicked her legs out. Trude only tightened her grip and forced Eila's throbbing arm further up her back.  
"I saw you trying to rape Flying Officer Litvyak!"   
Many emotions passed through Eila's face. Disgust, shock and even a slightly humorous expression flickered by until the Suomi finally settled on an angry expression. If Eila could see Trude, she would be staring her in the eyes with a look of pure hatred and fury.  
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! SANYA IS CLEARLY ILL AND I WAS OFFERING HER A MASSAGE!" Eila yelled out, bringing on her familiar to increase in strength slightly. Of course she was no match for Trude, but she still tried.  
Gertrud threw her accusing gaze over to Sanya.   
The poor girl looked terrified and had backed herself completely up against the back wall. Her face was very pale, and she sported deep rings under her eyes. A few lone tears of horror escaped her eyes as she stared on at her lover getting harassed by a super muscular gorilla girl. Once Trude's gaze fell upon her, Sanya let out a choked cry and buried her face in her hands.  
"See? Now look what you've done! Get the fuck off me!" Eila started to pinch Trude's thighs in hope she would get off.  
"Sanya, is what she says true?" Gertrud's voice was sharp, unforgiving and extremely scary.   
Slowly Sanya nodded and whimpered. Gertrud looked down at furious Eila underneath her.  
"If I ever catch you harming her," Gertrud's voice was quiet, "I'll kill you Juutilainen."  
"I should be the one saying that! Sanya is mine!"   
Barkhorn ignored the remark and slowly shifted her weight off Eila. The dusty blonde haired witch immediately jumped to her feet and squared up towards Trude.  
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!"  
"Shut up Juutilainen!"  
"You're moody just because you lost your fuck buddy to a dense Fuso girl!?" Eila spat and prepared to dodge. She would easily be able to dodge due to her magic.   
"Minna wasn't my fuck buddy!"  
"Friends with benefits then. Whatever you wanna call it?"  
"WE WERENT ANYTHING LIKE THAT!"  
"WELL FUCK OFF THEN! Me and Sanya actually love each other! Just stop getting involved!" Eila growled and stood protectively in front of Sanya, who was still on the floor.  
"Don't talk me me like that! I am your superior!"   
"I don't give a shit!"  
The two glared at each other for a long while, daggers and knives being thrown back and to.   
"Eila stop it..."  
At once at the sound of Sanya's soft and sweet voice, Eila ceased action and dropped down next to Sanya. Gertrud turned tail and marched out angrily.   
"Eila stop doing stupid things like that... You're going to get in trouble.." Sanya murmured and stroked Eila's upper thigh. Eila sighed heavily and nodded in acknowledgement.   
"Sorry Sanya..." There was a pause.  
"How are you feeling now?" Eila turned her head to look up into Sanya's face. The silver haired beauty had a slightly worried expression on her face as she gazed at the opposite wall.  
"My stomach still hurts a bit... " Sanya nibbled her lip nervously, " but I think I'm okay..."  
Eila sat up and closed the gap between them in a soft embrace.   
"Sanya... " Eila's shaky voice whispered into her girlfriends cool ear.  
"I know this is all my fault... If only I could control myself, I just-"  
Sanya grabbed Eila's shoulders and thrust her backwards. Eila blinked in shock and was greeted by an icy glare.  
"Eila! How dare you say something like that! It's not just your fault! We take shared responsibility!" Sanya's fierce glare sliced Eila's heart right open, and the suomus witch collapsed in a pool of tears.  
"I'm sorry Sanya... I really am..."

[LINEBREAK]

 

Minna sighed loudly as the nurse handed the results of Lynne and Perrine's test over. As of the last few days, neither of them had been gaining anything and Minna was rather concerned. The two girls were stood awkwardly in front of her, fiddling nervously. They were dressed in underwear alone to ensure the weighing was as accurate as possible. Lynne clasped her hands together and fidgeted with her fingers. Because of the way Lynne as positioned her hands, they enhanced her breasts; with every jerk of a finger her glorious orbs would bounce a little. The Brittanian donned a pair of white pants and a large white bra, that seemed so filled out it almost made Minna jealous until she reminded herself that she would soon overtake Lynne, thanks to pregnancy hormones.  
Perrine didn't appear as nervous as Lynne was, in fact she seemed pretty normal. But it was the slight twitch of an eyebrow and her wavering stance that gave away the nerves behind her serious expression. Perrine wore tight black pants and a dark purple bra decorated with fancy lace. It was not optional for the witches to wear clothes for the weighing. Underwear was fine but the nurses believed that normal clothes were too heavy for the test.   
"Neither of you have gained anything." Minna said bluntly. "In fact... Perrine you've lost a very small amount..."  
Minna was confused. She had even given the girls larger portion sizes than what was recommended to try and get their weight up. It obviously hadn't worked. Minna sighed again.  
"I'd like to believe there isn't an underlying cause for all this weight loss, but if this continues to happen I'm going to put both of you in counselling until the problems are solved... Please remember," Minna hesitated and carefully thought over what she was going to say before she continued. "That you can come and talk to me about anything and I'll try my hardest to help you..."  
Lynette and Perrine nodded in unison and Minna continued.  
"And even if you don't want to talk to me... Speak to one of your other comrades... It'll help," Minna smiled reassuringly. "You are dismissed, so put your clothes back on and join the rest of the squadron at breakfast." 

As Lynette and Bishop went back to retrieve their clothes from behind a screen, another witch entered the infirmary. It was Gertrud. The brunette looked exhausted, which surprised Minna. As a proud solider of Karlsland, Trude always insisted that a good nights sleep would improve your performance as a solider, so she always was in bed for 9pm every night without fail. Today it looked like Trude had barely had two hours sleep.  
"Trude? What's wrong?" Minna worriedly stood up to greet her friend. Trude flinched a little. The thoughts of the sounds she heard last night creeping back into her head, making her woozy and unwilling to go further. Minna backed off a little when she saw Trude flinch a little, but she was still determined to make sure that she was okay.  
"I-it's nothing Minna... I just slept badly..."   
Minna frowned and gently placed her hand on the Trude's pale forehead.  
"You've got a slight fever... You need to lie down..." Minna took Trude by her hand and led her to one of the hospital beds. As tempting as the plump pillow looked, Trude shook her head and tried to rebel against Minna.  
"I'm okay Minna... I just need something to wake me up, that's all." Gertrud didn't usually lie, especially to Minna of all people, but she honestly didn't want to confess to her best friend that she had heard her moaning in ecstasy and crying out for Mio to touch her. She definitely didn't want to say that. But Minna wasn't giving up; the redhead was indeed very stubborn.  
Minna forced Trude to perch on the edge of the bed while she dug around for some medicine.  
"Trude... I think you should stay in here and rest..." Minna mumbled, her head stuck deep inside the medical cupboard. She sneezed a little as some weird smelling powder came into scent range.  
"Minna I'm fine, please, you don't need to worry."  
"There's obviously something wrong if you didn't sleep well..." Minna came out for a breather and flashed her eyes in Trude's direction. Trude sighed heavily but held Minna's gaze until she began to speak again.  
"I..." The Brunette gave an awkward cough and looked away slightly. When Trude stopped speaking clearly, Minna prompted her.  
"You...?"   
"I... Think.... I'm coming into heat again..." Trude couldn't muster up the courage to look Minna back in the eye, instead she kept her eyes focused on her feet, on which her boots were. They look shiny and polished (nothing less from a Karlsland Solider).  
Minna pulled herself fully away from the cupboard and invited herself to sit next to Trude. With motherly intent Minna wrapped an arm around the slightly younger girl and pulled her in close. She gave a slight smile and she felt Trude's shallow breath on her neck.  
"Trude... Please tell me you weren't getting in a state over that?"  
"No it was over the fact all I could hear for half of the night was you moaning next door." Trude thought to herself.  
When Trude remained quiet, Minna giggled.  
"We all go through it Trudie, it's nothing to be embarrassed about"  
Although Gertrud was embarrassed about her heat cycle, since she knew that she got oddly out of character at that time, she was even more embarrassed because all her ideas of what Mio was doing to Minna the previous night suddenly flooded her mind, leaving her vulnerable and a small blush appeared on her face.  
"If you want, I'll keep Frau busy for the day, so that you can have 'alone time' in your room..." Minna patted Trude reassuringly.  
"No, I want to stay in here..." The blush on Trude's face was ever strong because of the fact Minna had suggested that she keep Erica busy so that Trude could masturbate in peace. Minna cocked an eyebrow at the solider's abnormal request.  
"Are you sure? I don't really have control of who comes in and out, so you wouldn't really have much peace... I know there's the showers, but it won't be the same as when you have the room to yourself..."   
Trude shook her head again, not wanting anything less than to face Erica after last night.   
"Minna its fine... Please let me stay here..."  
Minna sighed.  
"Okay then... But don't stain the sheets... Because the nurses always get mad at me when one of you does it."  
Trude smiled and leaned into Minna more, feeling her warmth. It was nice... It's no wonder the Major liked to snuggle with Minna so much. Maybe one day Trude would have someone of her own to snuggle with. Minna smiled and gave Gertrud a small squeeze.  
"You don't need to come to breakfast, I'll have it brought to you and obviously you're relieved of duties, so you can just rest and recover..."  
Trude nodded with her head on Minna's shoulder and let out a happy sigh.  
"Thanks Minna..."  
The redhead gave her best friend a soft pat on the head before slowly standing.  
With a caring smile, Minna took one last look at Gertrud, and then politely left, shutting the door to give Trude a small bit of privacy.   
Once Trude was alone, she flopped backwards on to the soft bed. The snowy sheets dipped under her weight and the feeling was soothing to hormonal Trude.   
The Karlsland solider rolled her eyes to the ceiling and stared down the white patterns until her eyes blurred and burned with tears. She closed her eyes. But every time she closed her eyes the only thing that entered her head was sex. It was natural, of course, but it made Trude uncomfortable. She didn't want to think about sex. Minna's loud moans echoed through her head and stirred up havoc in Trude's body. Despite all her efforts, no matter what Trude thought about, it would always round back to thinking about sex. 

Gertrud always had the longest heat cycle on base. This was because she strictly disciplined herself, and as of yet had not given into sexual desire, unlike the other witches, who were easily led astray by their emotions. Before long every aspect of Trude's body was burning like fire and the sensation was nothing like she she had felt before. This was so much more intense than any heat cycle she had experienced. Trude had a feeling that this new feeling had something to do with overhearing Minna and Mio last night. With trembling hands, Trude reached for her buttons and clumsily fiddled around until the golden buttons slipped through the holes. She slowly moved her hands down her jacket as she progressed through the buttons. With her mind and body elsewhere, it took a lot longer than it should've done to get through all the buttons. Once Trude had finally undone them all, she slipped her jacket off and tossed it off the bed. For once she wasn't concerned with being tidy, there was just too much going on in her head for tidiness to even enter as a passing thought.   
The buttons of Trude's shirt were just too fiddly for her to undo in her current state, so instead she simply tore herself out of her shirt. Cold air met burning skin and was a good attempt at soothing the heat, but it wasn't good enough.   
Trude roared in despair and grabbed her plain bra in her hands; then tore it. The material fell from her hands and floated down to the bed. Large breasts flopped free and fresh air consumed Trude's body.   
Next was her pants. She ran her hands past her stomach to the waistband of her pants, where thick public hair tickled her fingers slightly. All it took was one tug and they were off... Well they now lay in two pieces, but that wasn't really an issue at the current moment in time.  
For a few minutes, the breezy air cooled Trude. She made the most of the time and closed her eyes, trying to sleep. But she wasn't quick enough. Just as sleep was about to engulf her, the cool feeling was being ebbed away at a slow but noticeable pace. There had never been a moment where Trude wished more that she could've been asleep.   
Barkhorn knew too well that she would have dreams that didn't quite fit her personality while she slept, but it was still better than suffering the unbearable heat.   
With a loud growl of frustration she gripped the sheets and tugged at them with her burning fingers.  
Trude was so distracted by her body, she failed to notice the quiet click of the door shutting, and the soft patter of quick feet.  
What she did notice, was when another body pressed itself against hers.  
With a screech she opened her eyes and pushed the body off her with all her might. There was a squeak as said body hit the floor.  
"Trudeeeeee!" Erica exclaimed in surprise. She had know Trude might not react in the friendliest ways, but she hadn't expected to be tossed off...  
The blonde got up onto her feet and gave the brunette a friendly smile.  
"What do you want Erica?" Trude growled. Normally she would be fumbling to cover herself, she she decided that it didn't matter anymore. She was in heat, her body was roasting and besides, it wasn't as if Erica hadn't seen it before. Trude was too busy trying to control herself she didn't even hear Erica answering.  
"So Trude? Can I?" She piped up.  
"Can what?" Barkhorn's hearing seemed to be faltering. Another searing wave of boiling pain passed through Trude and her body lightly spasmed. She couldn't hear a thing Erica was saying. As dense as Erica normally was, she could definitely tell at this point that there was something wrong.  
"Trude? Talk to me...?" Erica leaned over Trude and smiled into her face.  
"Just leave me alone!" Trude gasped and tried to roll away from Erica's grinning face.  
"Trude... Are you hurting that badly? Heat cycles shouldn't be this bad..."   
"JUST FUCK OFF!" Trude yelled. Erica seemed a little taken aback at the sudden outburst and shuffled away a little, only to shuffle back a few seconds later.  
"Trude you aren't going to fix anything by rolling around like that!" Erica exclaimed and reached out towards Trude. The brunette slapped her hands away.  
"JUST LEAVE ERICA! I DONT CARE WHAT YOU WANT TO DO JUST GO AND DO IT!" The fierce look in Gertrud's eyes finally got through to Erica. Slowly the blonde turned around and walk out, leaving Trude still breathing deeply in anger.

Outside the door, Erica sighed. She knew it was down to Trude's awkward hormones that she had said the things she did. Erica was very used to being shouted at and told off by Trude, but this time it was different. There was a stare of pure hatred that Trude was throwing at Erica, and that look in Trude's eyes made the smaller girl shiver.   
With a slightly quivering hand, Erica dipped down into her pants and pulled out the very crumpled transfer papers. As well as being crumpled, there were greasy marks all over the paper from food and chocolate fingerprints lightly decorated the corners. She had known the state of the paper had been quite poor but it hadn't quite dawned on Erica what she had truly done to it. She bit her lip slightly before shoving them roughly back into her pants.  
"Well... She said I could do what I want... I guess I'll go and find the others!" She thought to herself. Then she set off in search of the remaining seven members who weren't aware of their future.

Finding Shirley and Lucchini hadn't been too difficult. More often than not they were together in the hangar, so that had been Erica's first destination. She had not been disappointed and came away with both of them following her.  
"Ehhhhh? Ericaaaaaaaa what are we doing?" Lucchini whined.   
"You'll see!" Erica turned and winked at the tiny twintailed girl. "Do you know where any of the others are?"  
"Hmmm..." Shirley pondered for a short moment. "I think Lynne and Yoshika said they were having afternoon tea together on the terrace... And Perrine wanted to visit her garden... As for Eila and Sanya..." Shirley cast her watchful eye over to Lucchini, who was momentarily distracted by a broken screwdriver.  
"They are probably fucking in their bedroom..."   
Erica sighed.   
"Let's go to the garden first then..."

Perrine was indeed in her garden. The sun was beating down and it was the perfect day to be tending to her flowers. With her slim fingers she delicately scooped away the soil to make a small dip for the flower to be planted. The Gallian was knelt smartly on a small blue cushion and smiled as her garden continued to grow. She donned a floaty white dress they reached just above her knees when she was standing and upon her head was a straw hat. It wasn't an outfit she would wear often, but the day had seemed so bright and she couldn't think of anything better to do.   
Although Perrine was alone more often than she would've liked, she wasn't really doing something that made her happy. Like if she was off duty, she would usually read a book. It's not as if the books she read weren't interesting, but she couldn't help longing for something more - she found that extra something within her love for flowers.   
Flowers just calmed her down. Seeing all the different variations made her mind whirl and the prospect of raising the flowers as if they were precious children excited her. They made her feel at home, and with everything that was going on in her life at the current moment in time, that was important.  
Perrine loved her flowers. Growing them reminded her of Gallia, her home, everything she fought for. Perrine didn't even notice the other girls approaching... If she did she would've probably stopped smiling so radiantly. Erica was quite content with watching the glasses wearing Heiress, the way she cared for the flowers was just so enchanting to Erica.   
But the blonde had to move on with her task. Lucchini was getting bored as they waited and her finger was making its way towards her nose.  
"Oyyyy.... Perrine?" Erica spoke up. Perrine hadn't expected to be interrupted so early into her gardening session. She jumped at the sound of Erica's voice, sending the little seeds from the packet she had been holding flying everywhere. Perrine toppled backwards, giving a nice show of her lacy white pants to the three witches standing nearby.   
"W-what are you doing?!" Perrine exclaimed; her glasses had become slightly crooked on her nose, giving Perrine a lopsided expression. She immediately sat up as if nothing had happened and brushed her hands lightly across her dress.  
Erica bit the inside of her cheek. As much as she needed Perrine to come with her, the blonde had looked so delighted moments earlier with her loved garden.   
"Well out with it!" Perrine snapped snd she began to pick up the seeds the had just spilt. But it wasn't her usual kind of snappy voice. This time it was a lot less rude and more of a gentle push in the right direction.  
"W-we need you to come with us..." Erica mumbled with her eyes not quite meeting Perrine's. The blonde rolled her deep yellow eyes.  
"Why?"   
"It's important... Please...?" Erica opened her round blue eyes fully and gazed down into Perrine's.  
"Fine. But be quick." Perrine placed her mostly empty packet of seeds underneath a trowel to prevent them from blowing away and then careful got to her feet. With one last longing look at her flowerbeds she turned and glided towards Erica.  
"Sorry..." Erica muttered under her breath, "but it's quite urgent..."  
Perrine just shrugged and quietly followed behind.

The next stop was Sanya and Eila's room. To Erica's surprise (and slight disappointment) the couple weren't there. They weren't in the baths either. Nor where they lounging in the common room. They seemed to have disappeared off the base completely.   
"Huh...I'll just tell them later..." Erica scratched behind her head confused. Since when did the lovebirds get to difficult to find?  
The group slowly made their way to the terrace, where Lynne and Yoshika were sat enjoying their afternoon tea. On the small table they say around were lots of cakes and scones. The tea was in a lovely little white teapot that Lynne had brought from her home when she first joined the 501st. Everything seemed so prim and proper that even Perrine admired the teacups and saucers on entering the scene.  
"Hartmann-San! What are you doing up here?" Yoshika smiled. Erica gave the cheeriest smile she couple muster at that moment in time before grabbing a chair. She dragged the chair across the floor and then pulled it up at the table Yoshika and Lynne were sat at.  
"We all need to to talk..."   
All the other witches grabbed a chair and pulled it up too. This made it very cramped around the table, but since the news was so important nobody really cared.   
"Why so serious Hartmann?" Shirley chuckled and reached for a large scone sat on the cake stand. Her not a moment after her slender fingers were closed round the bun she lifted it to her mouth and bit down. The scone was extremely dry; Shirley pulled it away from her mouth in disgust and reached for the jam.  
"It's about this..." Erica reached under her jacket and pulled out the stained and crumpled papers. She had the idea to switch them from her pants into her shirt as they entered the terrace as it would be easier to pull them out. The witches at the table all watched with great curiosity as the papers, however their curiosity didn't last long and instead turned to disgust as Perrine pointed to an oddly coloured stain in the corner of the paper.   
"WHAT on earth is THAT!?" The Gallian witch exclaimed. Erica shrugged, confused as to why she was kicking up a fuss about the state of the paper and not the actual contents.  
"What've you been doing with it?! It's filthy!" Perrine pushed her point further, turning the paper over for closer examination. Shirley just kept laughing as the back side of the paper was even worse than the front.  
"I've not really done anything...I just carried it in my pants a few times.. That's why it's so crumpled..."  
At that, Perrine immediately stopped her observation of the paper and froze up. Shirley broke into another fit of hearty laughter.  
It then hit Erica that the reason none of them were bothered by the papers, was because none of them could read it. The papers were for Minna, who of course was Karlslandian, therefore the papers were written in her native language and not Brittanian... The blonde took a deep breath.  
"These papers... They are transfer papers... For us"  
Silence fell around the table.  
"What do you mean Hartmann-San?" Yoshika asked quietly. Erica looked her I tot he eyes as she answered.  
"We... We are all going to be split up..." Erica didn't think the mood could worsen, but it did. Even Shirley seemed downhearted about the whole affair.   
"B-but... What about Sakamoto-San? Isn't she going to command the wing?" Yoshika asked, fearful of the answer. Erica shook her head.  
"The Major is retiring when Minna goes on maternity leave..."   
"But Barkhorn-san-"  
"The decision has already been made..." Erica looked down at the messy papers sadly. Silence ruled once again and it just made the aura on the terrace even more depressing.  
"Where am I going Hartmann-San?" Yoshika asked curiosity brimming her eyes.  
Erica lazily flipped through the the file and found Yoshika's name.   
"Back to Fuso..."  
"What about Lynne-chan?"  
"Huh..." Erica found Lynne's name and scanned the text untill she found the transfer destination.  
"Staying in Britannia... You've been invited to join Her Majesties Witches..."  
"Wow! That's amazing Lynne-chan!" Yoshika immediately attacked Lynne with a hug and congratulated her repeatedly. The other witches also showered Lynne with praise. Erica picked up on the fact Lynne seemed a lot less excited about her big promotion than the others. She seemed almost disappointed. Erica just shrugged it off. It wasn't her business.   
"Oy... Hartmann what about me?!" Shirley seemed quite excited to find out where she would be transferring to, so Erica wasted no time in translating.  
"You're still up for grabs... There's no telling where you're going..."   
Shirley leaned back in her seat with an annoyed sigh and muttered under her breath.  
"Maybe we're going back to Afrika, Shirley!!" Lucchini excitedly gripped Shirley's arm with her small hands and squeezed happily.  
"Yes! We had great fun last time!" Shirley held her hand up for a high five and her open hand wasn't met with disappointment. Erica bit her lip. Shirley and Francesca's profiles were two of the few she had bothered to read, and unfortunately for them, it was highly u likely that they were going to be together.  
"Well? What about me?" Perrine asked. She didn't seem particularly interested, but underneath she was anxious. She had grown used to the 501st and having to transfer would be a big deal. New people to get used to, a new base to find your way around, different battle tactics.... The list went on.   
Erica rifled through the pages until she found Perrine. She let out a small giggle as she read Perrine's transfer destination.  
"O' Miss High and Mighty Perrine Clostermann, you will be transferring to the NOBLE Witches!" Erica laughed and swung back into her chair. Shirley erupted into fits of laughter while Francesca squealed like a piglet. Perrine gave them an indignant look, but underneath her anger was a small blush. Yoshika waved her arms around trying to calm Perrine.  
"Hmph! It's a great honour! More than I can say for you Liberion! Nobody wants you at all!"

[LINEBREAK] 

Yoshika silently dropped her swimsuit and kicked it off her foot. Her mind was focused on the girl who stood no more than a couple of metres away. Lynne had a grim look on her face while she changed. All afternoon she had seemed distracted. All afternoon she had been acting strange. But then again, she had been acting strange for a while now...   
"Say... Lynne-chan..." Yoshika reached for her hanten, which was folded neatly in her drawer.  
"Hmm?" Lynne looked up. Yoshika tried to pull her gaze away from Lynne's round naked breasts and instead zones in on her eyes.  
"I-I was wondering... You've seemed so down lately... Is something wrong?" Yoshika frowned a little, trying to think of the hundreds of reasons why Lynne could be upset.  
"I-it's nothing really!" The answer was quick, too quick. Yoshika scooted closer to Lynne to try and hold the eye contact,  
"Have I done something wrong?"   
"No! You've done nothing wrong Yoshika! You're a great friend!" Lynne reached forward and pulled Yoshika into a hug.  
"Then what's wrong? I don't like seeing you like this..." Yoshika spoke softly into Lynne's ear. For once she was more concerned about the mental health of her friend rather than the physical health of her breasts.  
"It's-"  
"Please don't tell me it's nothing Lynne-chan... It's hurting me and you're hurting you even more..." Yoshika lifted her arms to return Lynne's embrace. Lynne went quiet for a minute, then Yoshika felt a wet spot forming on her shoulder. Yoshika soothingly rubbed Lynne's back.  
"It's okay... Just cry it out Lynne-chan...."  
"Y-Yoshika..." Lynne sobbed loudly. "I-I'm sorry..."  
"No! I should be sorry! I just tried to force you to tell me!" Yoshika protested.  
"I-I just can't take the pressure anymore!" Lynne whimpered. Yoshika was quite confused, but she still stood there and rubbed Lynne's back. Getting changed had gone out the window so Yoshika just led Lynne back to the bed, where they could sit down and properly talk about it.   
After a few minutes, Lynne calmed down. The brunette sat and stared at her hands for a long time before speaking up.  
"D-do you remember the letter I received the other day?" Lynne asked quietly, her voice on the verge of breaking. Yoshika nodded, not trusting herself to say the right thing.  
"I-it was from my father... He... He told me that the money I've been sending him isn't enough... My mother isn't well and all the money I send has been going for her medication, but there isn't enough money left over for my father and siblings..." Lynne brought her tissue up to her eyes and dabbed gently at the forming tears. "S-so he said... That if I don't start sending more... He-he... He's going to...get me an arranged marriage..."  
"Arranged... Marriage...? Yoshika echoed in shock. Lynne nodded and tears burned her eyes once again.   
"B-but I don't want to! I have other important people in my life... " Lynne trailed off and hurried her head in her hands.  
"I don't know what to do..." Lynne cried. Yoshika frowned glumly and wrapped her arms around Lynne.  
"It's okay Lynne-chan... I'm here for you... Just cry it out..."  
Lynne sobbed harder. Yoshika sighed. It was going to be a long night


	14. Chapter 14

"W-what... Have I done...?"   
Gertrud stared down in horror at the pitiful creature underneath her. Her body was screaming at her to go on, continue what she was doing. But her heart, and head, screamed no. Trudes body shook as she realised the monster she had turned into.  
"E-Erica..!" She choked out, barely able to process what had been going on. Getrud wasn't sure what had happened. The last thing she remembered was Erica walking in. She couldn't even remember what she had come in for.   
But whatever it was, it was completely irrelevant right now. The reason being; Trude had given into her strongest desire, and it had taken a nasty turn. Somehow her brain had switched off from rational thinking, and instead focused on what the body wanted. Sex. Pleasure. Love.  
But this was not love.  
This was one sided lust.  
Trude wobbly knelt back on her heels. Her mouth hung open in despair and the expression she wore on her face was unreadable.   
Erica, who until a few seconds ago had been pinned underneath Trude, had now backed up against the headboard, pulling the covers of the bed up to protect herself. Erica's potato coloured pants had been roughly discarded of. They now lay halfway across the infirmary. The younger blonde looked terrified. But anyone would be if they had been grabbed and forcefully stripped by someone you considered your friend. Erica's horror struck face broke Trude, and the brunette slammed her fist into the bedsheets. Her fist bounced off harmlessly.   
"...Trude..." Erica whimpered, her blue eyes were wide and her knuckles were white form clutching the covers so tightly. She had witnessed her friend turn into a lustful beast, and she hadn't the physical strength to fight back. She had almost been raped, and she couldn't do anything about it. But in Erica's heart, she found the will to forgive Trude. She knew it wasn't her friends fault, sometimes that was what heat cycles did to you.  
Trude leapt from the bed. Erica reached to try and grab her hand, but she was too slow. Gertrud ran from the room, completely stark naked.   
"No! Trude wait!" Erica tried to follow after her, but she was still shaky from her experience and her knees collapsed underneath her then she tumbled to the floor with a yelp.   
With a sigh she sat up.   
"Poor Trude..." She said quietly.   
For the longest time Erica had had romantic feelings for Gertrud. She hadn't known when they had started or where they had come from, but all she could remember is wanting to be with Trude. Erica wanted to lie in the same bed as her, like Sanya and Eila. She wanted to exchange daily kisses with the brunette like Mio and Minna. She just wanted to be with her all the time. Not that they weren't together all the time, but Erica wanted more time.   
And she hoped that Trude's heat cycle would eventually give in to the feeling of sexual desire, and until now that hadn't happened. But something had triggered this kind of reaction in Trude.   
Erica didn't want to think about it too much though. So she just reached for her shirt; a few buttons less than the last time she wore it.

[LINEBREAK]

"Mio! The transfer papers are gone!" Minna grabbed her girlfriend roughly by the shoulders and shook her slightly. The Major smiled lovingly at her lover and took Minna by the hand.   
"Minna, they can't be gone... You've probably just misplaced them..." Mio soothed and tried to lure Minna over to the red couch. Minna pulled her hand out of Mio's and started pacing rapidly up and down the room.

"No! They are definitely gone! I locked them up in my drawer... I know I did!" Minna wailed and waved her arms around in distress. Mio's eyes followed Minna's every movement and the black haired witch was waiting for her moment to strike. 

"Minna you were looking over them the other night in bed, remember? You read them to me because I can't understand your language..."

"Yes! I know! But after that... When I woke the next morning I'm sure I took them back to my officer... I'm sure I did..." Minna fretted and her anxious pacing became more rapid. Mio silently walked behind Minna and wrapped her arms gently round Minna's waist.  
"Minna, please just calm down... We can look for the papers later... Right now I have some good news..." The Major produced a white envelope from her pocket and handed it to Minna while she rested her head on Minna's shoulder. The redhead took the envelope, which was already opened, and pulled the paper out from inside. Mio continued.

"It's about the house I told you about... I wrote to the seller and she said that we could go for a look around! Isn't that great!" Mio could barely contain the excitement in her voice. Minna wasn't really in the mood to be joyful, she was far too stressed about her current situation, but she knew it would really hurt Mio's feelings if she didn't act grateful or excited, so she had to try.  
"That's great Mio! When can we go?" Minna forced a smile and patted Mio's hands.  
"She said an afternoon this week, why don't we go today? We have nothing on and it will do you some good to get off base again..." Mio's voice was silky smooth, so smooth that Minna couldn't help but agree.  
"Okay then... But Mio... What if the girls find the papers?" Minna fretted.   
"Minna... You've just misplaced them. Trust me please... I'll help you find them later..." Mio carefully removed her hands from Minna's waist and brought them up to gently tug on Minna's wrists. "Come and sit down..."  
Reluctantly Minna allowed herself to be led to the couch. Mio sat down first, then patted the cushion between her open legs, inviting Minna to join her. Minna sat delicately between Mio's legs and let out a loud sigh.  
"You're just too stressed Minna... I think you should take maternity leave early..." Mio began to gently massage Minna's shoulders, trying to ease the worries of her lover.  
"I can't do that... Then the wing would be disbanded quicker..." Minna frowned as Mio hit a sore spot. Mio decided to change the subject. She didn't want to talk about the disbanding of their wing.  
"I can't wait until you have the baby Minna... Perhaps we should start thinking about names?" Mio said excitedly. Minna giggled.  
"It's way to early to start thinking about names.... We don't even know if it's going to be a boy or a girl!"   
"Well... Lots of Fuso names can be suitable for both!" Mio grinned.  
"Yes... But if we want a Karlsland name, we can't exactly go round calling our Daughter Walther... It just wouldn't work..." Minna sighed with a small smile at Mio's way of thinking.  
"That's a good point though..." Mio moved her hands down on Minna's back slightly. "What name are we going to have? I'd like a Fusoan name... But if you want something else, I don't mind..."  
"I would've liked a strong Karlslandian name... But it's fine... We can have a Fusoan one..."  
"No... It's okay. Let's have Karlslandian." Mio argued.  
"No, we're going with Fusoan."  
"Karlslandian."  
"Fusoan."  
"Karlslandian."  
"Fusoan."  
"Karlslandian"  
"Isn't that a mouthful to keep saying?" Minna chuckled and Mio groaned slightly. "Anyway... We can have both... And since you're so insistent, we can have a Karlslandian first name, and a Fusoan middle name, how does that sound?"  
Mio nodded in approval.  
"That seems fair enough."  
"However, she's having your last name Mio."  
"She? So you're assuming it's a girl!"  
"N-no! It just slipped out!"   
"So will you be disappointed if our child is a boy Minna?" Mio teased.  
"No! Of course I won't! I'll love them no matter what they are!"  
Mio stopped her massaging and wrapped her arms around Minna. She then leant back, so Minna was lay back too.  
"I know... I will too... But I can't help thinking about how weird it would be for us to have a boy..." Mio said quietly.  
"Mm..." Minna nodded. "And we would probably get in trouble with the higher ups too... Because they would've expected a witch.... One with 'the best qualities of both of her mothers' and if our child was a boy.... Having him be a witch would be impossible..." Minna sighed softly.  
"Mmm... Do you want some help getting ready?" Mio questioned, sitting up. Minna twisted her head round to look at Mio with a confused expression.  
"Ready for what?"   
Mio sighed lovingly and kissed Minna's cheek gently.  
"To go and look at this house..."  
Minna shook her head.  
"It's fine, I can get ready by myself... Just tell Trudie that we're going out..." Minna stood up and detached herself from Mio's warm embrace.  
"Yes, I will." Mio gave Minna one last kiss and then left the room. 

Minna sighed and walked over to her desk. Mio's best efforts of helping her forget were wasted as Minna immediately went back to worrying over where the papers were. She was sure she had locked them in her drawer.   
With an exhausted sigh, Minna flopped into her chair. Now she had to go back to her room and find something else to wear.   
"I'll do it in a bit..." Minna thought to herself, and slowly her eyelids drooped.   
The sun was still high in the sky, but Minna fell fast asleep. 

[LINEBREAK] 

Minna woke with a jerk.   
"Where am I? What's going on?" Minna stuttered. The room she was in was pitch black. The Karlslandian shuffled into a sitting position on what appeared to be a bed, probably her own. After a few dazed minutes, Minna regained some of her lost memories from a few hours earlier. Although she wasn't sure how she made it from her office to her bedroom, although she had a good idea.   
Thinking of Mio caused an undoubtably strong wave of guilt to wash over Minna. She had fallen asleep completely forgetting Mio's good will. The redhead sighed at her own disappointing actions, and pushed the covers off herself. A cold breeze whisked by and made Minna realise that her clothes were gone... She patted herself down to double check, but yes, indeed her clothes were gone. Obviously they hadn't gone far, for after stumbling a round in the pitch blackness for three minutes Minna did eventually find them, but then decided that it wasn't worth putting them back on. Minna instead slipped her nightdress over her head, grimacing as she felt her damp armpits making contact with the soft fabric. She sure had sweat a lot while she slept... No worries though. Since she had just woken up and after being asleep all day, she could shower and then catch up on what had been going on while she had been asleep.

When she had fully prepared herself, Minna began to shuffle down the hallways in her fluffy slippers and dressing down. It was strange for the hallways to be so quiet... Not that they weren't usually quiet, but they just seemed even more strange now that all the rest of the witches were sleeping.

Minna had no clue where to look for Mio. The Fusoan could be literally anywhere... But finding her would give Minna some time to review some things she had been needing to think about. Such as; how to tell the girls about the transfer, organising a date for her and Mio to go and look at a housing option... Asking Yoshika to check on her baby for the fourth time that week... Relevant things like that. Yoshika had been struggling to keep up with Minna's demands and questions about her baby. The young healer, although very skilled, hadn't had much experience with being a midwife, unlike Georgette, thus making Minna's worry increase and Yoshika to waver in making important decisions. 

Minna blinked to try and remove the sleep from her eye, just to check if she was seeing things. No, she was right the first time. The common room door was open, and light from the fire was emitting out of it. The redhead cautiously approached the door and peered in. To her slight disappointment, Mio wasn't the person who was curled up in a depressed ball on the couch. Instead, it was Gertrud. The brunette was curled up tightly with her back facing the fire. From what Minna could tell, all that she wore was a loose blanket draped round her shoulders.   
Minna stood still for a minute, wondering if she should go and sit by her sleeping best friend for a while or carry on her search.  
But her mind got made up for her.

Mio softly rested a hand on top of Minna's shoulder. Minna jerked away, but immediately felt a pang of regret when she realised who it was giving her such a loving touch.  
"Sorry for scaring you..." Mio muttered and buried her head into Minna's shoulder. Minna pulled a hand from her pocket and reached around for Mio's.  
"It's fine... Why is Trude sat in here? She's going to get cold, even if she is in heat..." The Commander looked worriedly down at her best friend on the couch.  
"Something happened between her and Hartmann, but neither of them are talking about it..." Mio sighed sadly.   
"Where is Frau then? Is she in her room?" Minna asked, not taking her gaze off Trude.  
"Yes... She came out earlier and sat by this door and tried to get Barkhorn to talk to her, but she got no response so I sent her to bed."   
"I see... Are all the others in their rooms too?"  
"Yes. I checked on them eariler... And I made sure that both Eila and Sanya were in their room too, because I know what they're like for wandering off at night..." Mio grinned a little and squeezed Minna's cooling hand.  
"Thanks..." Minna took a breath, " I'm sorry I fell asleep... I don't know what came over me I just-!"  
Mio placed a finger over Minna's lips and hushed her.  
"Minna, it's fine... You've been so stressed, and you've not been sleeping well, so it's better that you did get a good rest..." Mio smiled reassuringly. Minna sighed, knowing that Mio was right.  
"I'm sorry though... I know you've been wanting to go and I just go and let you down like that! I'm such a disappointment!" Minna growled and frowned.  
"Minna~ You're letting your hormones get ahead of you... I told you that it's fine!" Mio kissed her girlfriends cheek lightly. "You sit here with Barkhorn and I'll get you some dinner... Any requests?"   
Minna breathed deeply, knowing that Mio was right, and tried to regain her bearings. After a brief moment of discussion with her cravings, Minna made her mind up what she wanted for her evening meal.  
"Pancakes. I would love some pancakes please Mio. And tea... Any tea will be fine..."  
Mio smiled.  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes... Wait-no! I want coffee... Yes... Coffee... And sugar... Lots of sugar..."  
"Minna sugar isn't good for you..." Mio said knowingly, and tapped Minna's nose playfully.  
"Urgh... Fine then... Only a little bit of sugar..." Minna grumbled, then carefully released Mio's hand before heading towards the couch. Mio glided out of the room and headed towards the kitchen to make Minna's dinner. Minna carefully lowered herself onto the couch. She tried to be as gentle as possible, so that she didn't wake the sleeping Trude. Her efforts were wasted, for the second Minna's butt touched the seat, her younger friend's eyes flickered open and stared Minna directly in the eye.

"Oh... Trude... I'd didn't realise you were awake..." Minna smiled tenderly. Barkhorn's eyes were red and puffy, something that only Minna had seen before, because the Karlslandian was normally on her emotional guard. Her face was blotchy, and when it wasn't blotchy in some places, pale skin shone through; illuminated by the glowing fireplace. Gertrud shivered subconsciously as the cool air in the room settled on her hot skin.  
Gertrud didn't respond to Minna when she first spoke, so the redhead tried again at trying to get her to say something.  
"...would you like to talk together with me for a bit?" Minna suggested softly, and her warm voice was accompanied by a gentle smile. In Gertrud's eyes, Minna could see her wavering about whether or not she would speak with her older friend, but Minna hoped that she would reach out for help.

With slow movements, Gertrud nodded. The thin blanket slipped from round her shoulders and uncovered her muscly arms and large chest. Minna hesitantly reached out and placed her hand on Barkhorn's shoulder. At the touch, Gertrud flung herself forward against Minna, knocking her back against the arm of the chair. 

At first a wave of fear crossed Minna's mind. The strong girl had her pinned with no escape, and it was as clear as day who was the more powerful out of the two. But the doubt soon passed as Gertrud collapsed into Minna's arms with a cry. The cry was not angry or any kind of aggressive cry; it was simply just a cry of pain. Emotional pain.  
Minna smiled sadly and returned Gertrud's hug while the younger girl cried her heart out.   
"It's okay... Let it all out Trude..."  
Minna reached for the blanket that once wrapped around Trude's shoulders and tried to pull it back. The last thing Minna needed was for Trude to catch a chill.

After a few minutes, the sobbing and crying died down, so the two were left with only the crackle of the fire in the room. They remained in an embrace though.   
"Minna..." Gertrud's quiet voice rose up from the silence, "I-i couldn't help it... My body.... It just... I'm sorry Minna... I tried... I tried so hard..." Tears were brimming Trude's eyes again while she gripped the blanket wrapped round her body. Minna held her tongue and hoped that Gertrud would explain herself, because she had no clue what she was talking about. With her motherly tone, Minna spoke up.  
"Trudie, I'm not going to be mad at you, or hurt you, but please tell me what you did... I can help..."   
Gertrud shook her head and pressed it into Minna.   
"Please tell me Trude... It will make it a lot easier for yourself if you tell me."   
There was a loud sob again and the Captain broke down. Minna sighed softly and rested a hand on the head of the captain.  
The night was still young, and there was still much to unfold.

[LINEBREAK]

"Thank you all for attending, I have called this meeting over a very serious matter that I would like to be resolved as quickly as possible." Mio cast her judging glare across the silenced meeting room. "Yesterday, a set of very important papers went missing from Minna's office... And as you can imagine, Minna will get in a lot of trouble if those papers aren't found..."  
Mio paused again, to have a greater effect in the aura in the room. 

Eila seemed quite annoyed about the meeting being called this early. She and Sanya were exhausted because Sanya's pregnancy sickness had prevented them from sleeping well. The young Orussian had been up and down all night, and Eila had been sleeping lightly so she could hear Sanya and run to be of assistance. At one point Sanya had vomited across the bed, and the two had to change the sheets so that they could actually sleep in them. So all in all, it wasn't a pleasant experience and left them miserable and tired.

Shirley was trying to play it cool about the whole thing. It was pretty easy for her, since she was quite chill about most things and could easily play off something like this. Lucchini was none the wiser and just giggled and goofed around by herself; she didn't even know what day of the week it was, let alone why the meeting was called.

Trude hadn't attended the meeting, she was still in heat and after Minna had spoke with her about what had happened, neither of them wanted to take chances. But everyone else was at the meeting. Lynne and Yoshika were listening intently. They were both terrible at hiding things, and looked guilty as hell. 

Trying to pretend that she wasn't there, Erica only listened half heartedly to the meeting. She knew that at some point the papers would be reported as missing, but she had seemingly misjudge how long that would take... She thought that it would've taken a few weeks at least... But she'd barely got a few days to get her shit together. 

"So therefore," Mio continued after observing the reactions of her subordinates, "I would like the person who took these papers to own up. They need to be returned immediately."   
Nobody moved.


	15. Chapter 15

"Well shit..." Shirley muttered under her breath as they all trailed out of the meeting room. She took a look behind her to check that the Major and Commander weren't following after them. The two appeared to be in deep conversation and not at all concerned about what their soldiers were doing. Shirley beckoned to the remainder of the 501st and pulled them to one side. Eila and Sanya seemed quite confused about this.   
"Look, we have things to get on with so don't be wasting our t-"   
Eila's harsh voice was cut off by Perrine.  
"So you're telling me," Perrine started with a slightly amused expression on her face, "that you simply don't care about the situation?"   
Eila growled.  
"Of course I don't! We didn't do anything with the papers so why should we care about them?!"   
Sanya looked worriedly from one witch to another, her teeth gritted and hands shaking with anxiety. Shirley looked over at Erica.  
"Have you not told them what's on the papers?"  
Erica quietly shook her head. The blonde had been oddly quiet since the evening before. It was suspected that something had gone on between her and Trude, but that was only confirmed by those which had confronted Trude which were Minna, Mio and Erica herself. Eila glared at Shirley. Sanya tugged gently on Eila's arm in an attempt to divert her attention.

"What's with you two? You've been walking round these last few days like someone has murdered your puppy!" Shirley muttered, catching Eila's eye. Eila froze. She started to visibly tremble with anger, her face turned a deep red and her eyes were cold.  
"THERES NOTHING WRONG WITH SANYA! DONT LOOK AT HER LIKE THAT!!" The Suomi roared with the ferocity of the strongest storm.  
"ITS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" With that, Eila grabbed Sanya's trembling hand and dragged her down the hallway slightly, but remained in the hearing range of the other girls.  
The gaze belonging to the remainder of the girls followed them.   
"There's definitely something going on between them..." Lucchini said, with her head tilted.  
"Mmm... But come to think of it, Sanya didn't do her patrol last night...." The ginger said thoughtfully.  
As the voices in meeting room drew nearer the door, Erica lowered her voice and spoke in a rushed tone to the group.  
"Everyone meet in the hangar, we need to discuss what we are going to do with the papers... Eila, Sanya..." Erica glanced at the two and called out, "feel free to join us"  
Eila's jaw dropped.  
"You're telling me... That you have the papers?" she whispered furiously. Although she never got an answer, for the girls had spilt and were already heading to the hangar in different directions as to not raise any suspicion with Mio and Minna.   
Before Eila or Sanya could make an attempt at following them, a set of footsteps came to the door and the door opened.  
Mio raised an eyebrow as she saw Eila and Sanya still stood there looking suspicious.  
"Eila, Sanya? Why are you still here?" She said. "Trying to listen in on our conversation?"   
Eila shook her head quickly, but unable to think of an excuse. She couldn't just rat Erica and the others...  
"I wasn't feeling good... So Eila said we should just stand still for a little while..." Sanya butted in and she got a grateful side glance from Eila.  
Mio just nodded with a smile.  
"Well it doesn't matter anyway... I was about to come looking for you both..."  
"Why?" Eila's tone was questioning and seemed slightly judging of what the Major wanted them for.  
"Minna and I just want to talk to you for a little while... About your... Your... Um..." Mio gestured towards Sanya's stomach. Eila growled under her breath and placed her hand protectively on it.  
Mio stared long and hard at Eila, but the dirty blonde didn't back off. Eventually Mio turned and walked back into the meeting room.  
Sanya looked up at Eila worriedly, before gently tugging on the blonde's sleeve and getting her to follow the Major. Sanya shut the door carefully behind her. Even though the rest of the 501st were out of sight, Sanya wasn't taking any chances that they could be overheard.

Inside the room, Minna was looking rather grim as she sat at a desk, stroking her slightly swollen stomach. Sanya smiled weakly at her leader, as the smile returned was just as pitiful.   
"Good Morning..." Minna said, slightly hesitant. Eila nodded begrudgingly, but Sanya replied with a polite good morning. 

"You two need to arrange a meeting with some superiors from your countries. It's important that this is done as fast as possible, because they will pick up on it anyway as we've stopped sending night patrol reports." Mio's tone was rather flat, which was unlike that of her usual tone. Eila wasn't wasting any time today an immediately started to argue.

"W-we can't! It's impossible!" Eila almost threw herself into Sanya in an attempted defence from Minna's cold stare. It seemed that Mio was doing the speaking though.  
"You don't have a choice, unless you want to abort your child." Mio said evenly, her eyes oddly hard in the warm light of the room. 

At the mention of an abortion, Sanya fell apart and sobbed quietly into Eila's shoulder, muttering all the while to herself.  
"Eila... We can't... I can't abort it... It's a creation of ours..." Sanya cried. Eila turned and looked Sanya in the eyes.

"I know, we will get around this somehow... I promise we won't have to kill our child..." The dirty blonde soothed her girlfriend by rubbing a comforting hand up and down her back. Minna and Mio stared on at the two. 

It was a hard thing for them to do, they understood how the couple felt, what they wanted, and how they wanted it, but this was duty. They were fortunate enough to have the option to actually give birth, Minna feared that Sanya would not be so lucky as to have such an option.

"Are you going to call and arrange a meeting now? You could wait, but I suggest you do it sooner. And speak to Miyafuji about getting checked, Sanya." Mio nodded directly at Sanya, who in turned quivered under her stare. Mio sighed.  
"I'll leave it for you two to decide, but Eila I want to talk to you a moment privately before you leave." The Major turned her grey eye on Eila, who stood tall and unflinching at the sudden attention diverted to her.  
"Of course." The icy tone in Eila's voice was matched by Mio's glare.  
"Come." Mio beckoned to Eila with a finger and walked backwards a few steps. Eila reluctantly began to follow.  
"Sanya, please walk with Minna back to her room." Mio ordered and led Eila away. For the first time since her first greeting Minna spoke up.  
"Mio! I don't need any help!" Minna's scorching glare burned into the back of her girlfriends head.  
"Minna, Sanya is going to walk you back to our room. You're ill." Mio didn't turn to face Minna and instead kept walking. But Minna jumped up very suddenly, all of her movements showed clear fury.  
"How dare you! Don't tell me what to do!" Minna spun round to Sanya.  
"Don't you dare walk with me!" She snarled. Sanya flinched and backed off.  
Mio sighed.  
"Minna, remember our discussion from this morning? Keep the promise you made."   
Minna let out a low growl, but no more was said.  
"Sanya, walk with her."  
The Orussian nodded frightfully and watched sadly as Eila was taken away from her.

[LINEBREAK] 

"Well this is tricky..." Shirley muttered, throwing her overcast gaze at Erica.   
"Huh..."   
"What will we do?" Yoshika piped up in an obnoxious tone to her voice. Erica shrugged.  
"Look, Erica there isn't time for this!" Shirley's voice rose slightly, "Minna and the Major are going to come looking for the papers, and sooner or later we are going to be searched!" Shirley grabbed Erica roughly by the shoulders and shook her slightly.

"No need to resort to that Yeager..." Perrine interrupted, but then looked thoughtfully at Erica.   
"But she's right Hartmann, we need to hurry with our decisions... Although the Major is temporarily distracted, our luck won't last long ..." Perrine placed her hand on her chin and paced up and down a little.   
"What are we to do then?" Lynne asked. Perrine was sure that if he brittanian had bitten her nails any shorter there wouldn't be any left.  
"Lynette, do not worry. Unlike these barbarians, we can use our extensive knowledge to help us of of this situation..." Perrine gave a small chortle of laugher. Lucchini whined a little and tugged on Shirley's jacket.  
"Lucchini..." Shirley released Erica and looked down. "You're right..." The ginger smiled and patted the shorter girl on the head.  
"Well I think, that you should give the papers back Hartmann , and own up to taking them..." Perrine said twirling a piece of hair round her finger. Lynne looked worriedly from Perrine to Shirley, to Erica before reluctantly speaking up.

"I agree with Perrine... You should own up to it..." Her uncertain voice shook slightly.   
"I think so too..." Lucchini said. "I'm already on toilet duty for the next week or so... I don't need anymore punishments..."   
Shirley nodded in agreement.   
"You're the one that took it Erica... So this is really all your fault..."

The only on who wasn't trying to pin all the blame on Erica, was Yoshika. The fusoan sat stood quietly, watching as the other witches told Erica, who already knew, that this whole problem was her fault.

"Actually... Hartmann-San... I'll come with you... I'll own up too... Since you showed it to us, it's our responsibility too..." Yoshika murmured quietly over the arguing of the others. They all at last quietened down at looked at Yoshika questioningly. Yoshika turned a little red from the attention and looked down.

"W-we discussed these papers together... We know about them... We helped Hartmann-San hide them... They are just as much our responsibility as they are hers..." Yoshika trailed off, unsure of what to say next. But it seemed like she had gotten through to the others. Shirley reached up and behind and scratched the base of her neck awkwardly.

"I suppose... " she started, "that it is kinda my fault too..." Shirley admitted. Erica looked rather surprised at the fact the busty ginger teen had just admitted to something that wasn't directly her fault. While Shirley was a team player and all, if something wasn't directly related to her, or wasn't her own fault, she would never usually admit to doing something. But, the world was full of surprises.   
"Y-Yoshika is right... I'll take responsibility too..." Lynne smiled and reached her hand down to grip Yoshika's. Yoshika's hand was cool to touch, and Lynne's heated hands warmed them up a little at the first touch. Yoshika grinned widely at her best friend and squeezes reassuringly.   
Shirley turned to Lucchini and ruffled her hair.

"C'mon Lucchini, own up too... It doesn't matter if you get anther punishment... Cause if you do, we can do it together..." The busty teen grinned reassuringly. Lucchini still hesitated, pouting dramatically with her arms folded across her flat chest. Shirley searched her brain for something else that would surely make the young girl give in.   
"I got it!" Shirley snapped her fingers comically and gave her usual wide smile, "I'll buy you a weeks worth of sweets!"

That was all it took and the Romangian was leaping with excitement.  
"When will we get the sweets Shirley?! Soon? Do I chose them?!" Lucchini tugged impatiently on Shirley's arm. The older girl patted her head with a grin.  
"As soon as you own up with up, I'll order them. And you can chose whichever ones you like..."

In all the excitement, the attention had been diverted form the one member of the group who hadn't agreed to own up to anything. Perrine stood with a sour look of her face, one of that you would've seen if she had sucked on lemons. She hadn't spoken up, and simply watched as the others burst into fits of giggles and loud laughter. 

The heiress wasn't in the mood to be as they were. Her stomach was twisting itself in knots inside her. It seemed to be stuck, and although she had tried light exercise to be rid of the pain, nothing had worked. She knew that none of the usual techniques would stop her stomach pain, for it was hunger that caused hers.

Perrine was unsure if she wanted to own up or not. She was already in a bad enough situation as it was. Commander Minna was hot on her trail about her recent and dangerous weight loss. The glasses wearing witch sighed loudly, which unintentionally drew in the attention of the other witches.

"What's wrong, four eyes?" Shirley said curiously. The uncalled for mean comment earned her a glare and a snort from Perrine.  
"None of your business!"the blonde huffed and turned her head away from the remainder of the group. Yoshika's smile faded away as Perrine fell into her line of sight.   
"You'll own up too, right Perrine-san?" The Fusoan mumbled nervously. Perrine shook her head in disgust.

"Own up? I've done nothing wrong! You were the ones that dragged my into looking at the damned papers! I want nothing more to do with them!" Although Perrine's voice barely rose about normal talking volume, Yoshika looked as if someone had just shouted their head off at her. The brown haired girl shook in her ugly white shoes and all the eager spirit that had bloomed in her moments ago had wilted into a pile of ashes. 

"Oy, oy! Perrine that's unfair! We're all owning up and we've had as little to do with these papers as you have!" Shirley interrupted.   
"And so what? You are giving yourselves in voluntarily!" Perrine snorted. The look of disgust on Shirley's face was clear as day, and the ginger started to square up to Perrine, but was stopped by Erica.  
"Guys please... Don't force her... I really appreciate the fact you're owning up with me... Honestly it means a lot..." Erica paused and chose her next few words carefully. "But please... Just don't force someone else to follow your beliefs..."

Shirley backed off a little, and settled for stroking Lucchini's head while the smaller girl groped her with tiny hands. Perrine didn't say anything. 

The blonde had been acting strange in the recent days, and being set apart from most of the witches because of her background hadn't helped. Although Lynette and Perrine were good friends, Perrine did not feel that she could truly trust the busty girl. The only witch that Perrine had ever been able to trust fully, was the major. But she was let down, and although it wasn't that shocking for Minna and Mio to have a child together (after all they did engage in hardcore mating very often) , it had chilled Perrine to the very core of her existence. She had wanted Major Sakamoto badly... But she was too slow on the guns, and Minna had shot her love arrow first, capturing and seducing the Major. 

It was known between the witches that Perrine had been suffering from a health problem, as she was called back after the examinations, but they were not clued in on what it was about. But they just assumed that was the reason she was being even more crabby than she usually is.

"Fine then. Fuck you foureyes..." Shirley spat and bared her teeth. Perrine gave a toss of her hair, and not one single fuck, as she marched away and out of the hangar. Erica sighed.  
She had been hoping to keep the peace, since it became apparent from the transfer papers that they weren't going to be together for much longer, but noooooooo. Everybody just HAD to be difficult and annoying and argue with each other AND fall out.

Well there was no point in dwelling on it.  
Yoshika quickly moved the topic of conversation on, in hop that Perrine would be forgotten, "Should we go and tell Commander Minna now?" 

Erica looks around at the others. She certainly wanted get this over with, but maybe the others had a different opinion. However, she was greeted with reassuring nods from her friends, which made up her mind.

"Yes. Let's go."

 

[LINEBREAK]

 

Minna could only stare in shock as before her were the papers.  
The very same papers that she had searched high and low for. The papers that had caused her a lot of pain and worry... And she was sure she had gained a few grey hairs from just worrying about those papers.  
"I'm sorry Minna... I took them from your office..." Erica whispered, her gaze was fixed into Minna's. Tears glistened in the corner of her blue eyes. Erica knew she had upset Minna.  
"We took them, all of us actually..." Shirley butted in. The ginger's eyes gleamed with determination.  
"A-all of you?!" Minna stuttered.   
Behind Minna, Mio was stood with a state of disbelief. She felt as if her eyes were deceiving her. 

Shakily Minna reached out and took the file from Erica's sweaty hands. Slowly, she brought it up to eye level and opened the file; just to check if it was the right one. She shut it with a snap.  
"Y-you know w-what's in it?" Minna asked, looking from one girl to another. They all nodded in unison.  
"Erica... You read it to them?!"   
"Minna! I'm sorry... I thought... I thought it was the right thing... Honestly! I'm sorry... I'm so so sorry Minna..."   
Anger and betrayal flashed through Minna's eyes, and was directed at Erica. Minna stood up, and ran from the room. The small blonde tried to follow after her, but Mio blocked the way.   
"Hartmann... you have some explaining to do..."


	16. Chapter 16

"Alright, Sanya-chan... Are you ready?" Yoshika smiled reassuringly as her younger friend. Sanya nodded hesitantly and her grip tightened on Eila's hand. Yoshika had been asked to give Sanya and her growing child a quick checkup, just to ensure everything was okay. Because Sanya was very young and inexperienced it was important for everything to be just right. 

Eila glared at Yoshika from her stool next to Sanya's bed. Eila's recent stress had caused her a loss of weight in her face, resulting in a very sharp jawline and visible cheek bones. These two factors made Eila's glare seem even more hateful and frightening. Sanya pulled her hoodie up to reveal her completely flat, pale stomach so Yoshika could apply a special gel.

"This gel will just help me feel magic impulses a lot better. I can't sense much at a stage this early so I must reply on changes in your magical impulses..." Yoshika smiled, flexing her skilled fingers as if she was about to grope someone. 

"Just hurry up with it Miyafuji!" Eila hissed. The blonde wasn't happy with the situation at all, and having having Yoshika touching HER Sanya wasn't improving her mood at all.  
At Eila's words, Yoshika hurriedly placed her hands on Sanya's abdomen and called upon her familiar. As Yoshika's memorable ears and tail made an appearance, so did a blue aura on Sanya's stomach. The silver haired girl's eyes widened in surprise and her grip tightened on Eila's hand. Eila soothingly stroked up and down Sanya's pale arm to calm her partner down.   
"It's okay Sanya I'm here for you... "

A large frown suddenly became present on the face of the young healing witch. The second Eila noticed, she released Sanya's hand and reached up to grab Yoshika by the collar.  
"What's wrong?!? Why are you making that face?!" Eila shouted. Her voice was hoarse and broken. Yoshika's Magic promptly disappeared the second Eila grabbed her, she wanted to appear as least threatening as possible. The medic shook her head.

"Sanya-chan.... There is nothing inside you... You aren't pregnant..."  
Yoshika was expecting to be dropped when she revealed the reason for her frown, but instead she was brought closer to Eila, so much so that she could smell the Suomi's breath, which only had a slight minty tang to it.   
"Eila-San... Please put me down..." The brown haired girl muttered nervously.   
"What do you mean?! Of course she's pregnant! I'm the other mother to it!" Eila shouted, the tightness of her grip further increasing.

The shouting had alerted Minna and Mio, who were stood outside. The two had come to an agreement with Eila. They weren't allowed in the room to observe what was going on, but they would wait outside in case of any problems, such as this one. Mio burst in the door first, followed by Minna. Eila was stood towering over Yoshika while Sanya gripped Eila's waist.   
"OY! Eila! Stand down!" Mio ordered and stepped between Eila and Yoshika. The brown haired subordinate was shivering slightly. Reluctantly Eila stepped backwards so that Sanya could released her. After everyone had gained their breath back, and the heated atmosphere had cooled a little, Mio spoke again.  
"What happened Miyafuji?" She said with her deep and authoritative voice.   
"S-Sanya-chan isn't p-pregnant..." Yoshika whispered.   
Eila screeched.  
"I course she is! Miyafuji's lying!" The fury in Eila's eyes was real, and terrifying. But it did not make the Major back down.  
"I didn't ask you, Officer... But is Sanya is not pregnant, then why the symptoms?" Mio asked carefully. Yoshika was still a little jittery, but she managed to stammer out an answer.  
"S-she's having... a false p-pregnancy..."  
Sanya's eyes widened in shock as she learned a surprising theory about the nature of her condition.  
"Well it sounds logical... And if you cannot detect a magical impulse, the this must be the case." Mio nodded. What Yoshika said seemed genuine and truthful.  
"Sanya, your leave will continue for a few weeks, to determine if you are or are not pregnant. For now, we can just explain to our Superiors that you are ill. It is the truth after all..."

Throughout the ordeal, Minna had remained quiet. She had been extremely unreactive for the last two days, since she discovered that it was her subordinates had found out about the precious papers. She rarely turned up for her meals, and Mio would have to take them to her, as Minna had personally requested that nobody else but Mio to bring her food. Erica had tried on multiple occasions to apologise, but Minna had walked straight past her, or removed herself from the situation in one way or another.   
"This is ridiculous! SANYA IS PREGNANT!" Eila screeched and lunged for Miyafuji. She was completely out of character and on the edge. Mio grabbed her mid-lunge and pulled her back roughly.  
"Stop this now! What has gotten into you Eila?!" Mio said, confused. Eila attempted to rip herself away from Mio, but she pulled hard and sent herself flying to the floor. When Mio offered her a hand up, the Suomi smacked it away and dragged her weary body off the floor before storming of of the room. Mio sighed heavily. Eila's behaviour was so unlike her normal self it was shocking. She was usually a little troublesome and mischievous, playful and teasing, not angry and hurtful all the time.  
Sanya remained tearful on the bed. Yoshika pulled Sanya's shirt back down and tried to make her younger friend feel comfortable.  
"I am sorry Sanya-chan... I didn't think that... That..."  
Mio placed a hand on Yoshika's quivering shoulder.   
"Miyafuji... It's okay... Not your fault..." Mio murmured. "Sanya... You stay here for a bit while Eila cools off, get some sleep okay? I'll draw your curtains." Mio gave the silver haired ace a small smile and tugged Miyafuji out the soon to be curtain cubicle.   
In a slightly lower tone, Mio turned to Yoshika; staring the younger girl in the eye.  
"Miyafuji... I'll settle Minna down, and I'd like you to take a look at her... Check the baby is okay... She's been stressing out a lot, I'm worried..." The Major nibbled her lip, casting her gaze over to Minna. The redhead was gormlessly staring at the plain infirmary walls. Yoshika nodded.  
"Of course Sakamoto-san."

Mio slowly approached Minna.  
"Minna... Come and take a lie down, you look exhausted..." The black haired beauty reached out and clasped Minna's warm hands. It didn't get a reaction, so Mio tugged a little.  
"Come on... Follow me..." Mio smiled reassuringly. Minna stood a tortoise-slow step after Mio. It wasn't much, but it was progress. 

"That's good!" Mio beamed as Minna lay herself comfortably on the bed. For the first time all day, Minna gave Mio a small smile so the black haired girl reached down and pecked Minna lightly on the cheek.   
"You're so pretty when you smile Minna... Don't stop..." Mio cupped Minna's face. "Now let's let Miyafuji have a look at the baby shall we? I'm sure you're due and other checkup!"   
Minna nodded in agreement. Once she had the golden seal of approval, Mio slowly slid her girlfriend's loose top up to reveal her swollen tummy. Minna smiled at her bump and brought a hand down to stroke it lovingly, eyes filled with hope.   
Mio knelt next to Minna and kissed the bump gently.   
"You're so beautiful Minna..." 

While Minna and Mio were quietly talking under their breaths about the wonders of their child, Miyafuji stood a respectable distance away and admired them. Both women were attractive, and Yoshika would class their breasts as greatly satisfying, which made her almost certain that their child was going to be extremely attractive and not at all lacking in the breast department. 

The young couple hadn't spent much time together recently. The whole confusion over the papers had made any time they had together stressful, and that was the reason Yoshika decided to back off and let them talk for as long as they wanted to. But, despite Yoshika's respectable distance from the pair, Mio soon called her back over. 

The Major took her girlfriend's hand in her own and smiled warmly.  
Yoshika cautiously approached. Minna was giving off mixed signals, so she was unsure how she should approach the redhead. As Minna made no movement against or towards Yoshika as she moved, the medic assumed it was okay to relax a little. The brown haired girl lowered her hands onto her patients soft stomach. Because of Minna's slim build, her swelling stomach seemed more prominent that it would've been on somebody else. Yoshika ran her hands across it gently. Mio gave Yoshika the dirtiest look the young girl had ever received. Miyafuji then proceeded to move along with the checkup at a faster rate.

Once again, Miyafuji merged with her familiar and released her magic. Once again the gel was applied and Yoshika closed her eyes to get the clearest possibly view of what was going on inside Minna.

Everything seemed okay.

"All appears to be in order, Commander Minna..." Yoshika said, but her voice was seasoned with shreds of uncertainty. "Although..."  
"Although? Although what?" Mio jumped up from her crouching position and stood all in front of Yoshika.  
"A-although... There is an odd flow of something... Something familiar..." The brown haired Fusoan said thoughtfully.  
"Magical flow?"   
Yoshika shook her head.  
"I thought it was at first... But it isn't magical... Definitely isn't magical..."   
"But is my child okay? What's wrong with them?" Minna asked, concerned. She stroked her gel-covered stomach repeatedly.  
"Your child is fine... It's just an odd flow inside of them..." Yoshika muttered.   
Mio gently attempted to hush Minna, for the redhead was becoming restless.  
"What's wrong with my child? I want to know! There's nothing wrong! They're perfect!" Minna growled as she pushed herself off the bed.  
"Minna! Lie back down!" Mio rushed to tackle Minna, but the pregnant witch retaliated.  
"Tell me what's wrong!' Minna pushed against Mio.  
"Minna! Calm down! You're going to hurt her!" Mio was trying her hardest to restrain Minna in a way that would not hurt neither the baby nor Minna, but the task proved to be difficult.  
"Commander Minna! T-there's nothing wrong! I promise you!" Yoshika tried to reassure the older witch but Minna was having none of it.  
"No! Mio she's lying! There's something wrong! She won't fix it!"   
Yoshika was just thankful that Mio proved to be a powerful barrier between herself and Minna's crazy lunges. Mio tried a new tactic, which included lowering her voice and talking to Minna clearly without shouting.  
"Minna. Our child is fine. There's nothing wrong, please calm down..."  
With Mio's soft words, Minna toned her outrage right down and then turned her expectant gaze to Mio.  
"Are you sure?" The Karlslandians gaze was judging, but all that Mio could do was remain strong.  
"Perfectly sure. Now I think we should go and get something to eat? You're not you when you're hungry Minna... And you have another mouth to feed..." Mio guided the conversation with ease, just as she guided her hand down to Minna's stomach and gave it another fond rub. Minna took a moments hesitation but then nodded.  
"Okay..."  
Her temper had disappeared as quickly as it had come, and Minna was fully calm once again.

[LINEBREAK]

"You're going back to our room?" Mio asked with a head tilt and Minna pulled her hand away, then nodded.   
"I'm tired..."  
"Don't give me bullshit Minna." Mio said, staring her straight in the eye. Minna didn't flinch at all and returned Mio's feisty glare.  
"I'm tired Mio. I don't see you carrying around a child within you." The redhead was getting quite defensive, so it was Mio's job to bring her in and calm her down. Mio sighed softly and wound her arm around Minna's waist.   
"You might be tired, but you just don't want to talk to them... Don't put it off Minna. You said yourself that you don't want to prematurely split the Wing up... And isolating yourself is exactly what you're doing..."  
Minna turned her head away from Mio and stepped out of reach of her hand. Mio reached out again, but Minna was too far out.   
"I'm going to bed. You can deal with any problems that arise..." Minna stalked away from Mio down the hallway.   
Minna was soon gone from eye view, and Mio groaned quietly.  
"Damn pregnancy hormones..." She muttered under her breath.

[LINEBREAK] 

Perrine took a quick glance around her. Today nobody seemed to be around, so she could proceed without having to worry about being caught. She took a step into the toilet cubicle; then collapsed to her knees. With a heartbreaking sob, she cried into her hands.  
"I'm still not perfect... No wonder the Major doesn't love me..." The blonde cried to herself. This last week had completely broken her. Perrine was once a proud and determined young lady. But it was just starting to fully sink in that she wasn't going to be with one of the only people she had ever truly loved. 

Perrine slammed her fist into the hard floor tiles. It hurt. But the pain felt good. 

Perrine had struggled mentally for a long time, longer than she cared to think about. But she had always managed to keep it well hidden below the surface of the character that everybody else saw her as. Sure, over the years people had noticed things, and questioned Perrine, but nobody bothered to dig deep about it. One recurring problem she faced was her body image. She had never been a large child, although there was always plenty of meat of her bones, but she had been extremely self conscious about herself. Perrine's problems had resurfaced after the revelation of Minna's pregnancy however it was only in the recent months they had become noticeable, due to the body examinations. The problem had only grown worse.

The malnourished blonde raised the toilet seat and positioned herself in a position where surely she could not miss the bowl. With slow shaking hands, Perrine lifted an arm up. She took a deep breath before slowly opening her mouth. Perrine should've been used to it, but often just thinking about what she was going to do knocked her sick. Now even slower than before, she curled three of her digits under her hand, then stuck the remaining two down her throat. 

Her fingers searched to find the back of her throat and provoke her gag reflex. Their search was successful and Perrine could feel the bile rising in her throat. Immediately she withdrew her finger upon feeling a burning sensation in her gullet, and proceeded to upchuck her breakfast. The tips her fingers stung after being freshly doused with acid, but the glasses-wearing witch remained by the toilet. After recovering from the first round, she sent her fingers back down her throat for another forced upchuck. 

Perrine's mouth was stinging so badly it made her want to cry out in pain, but the blonde remained strong throughout the ordeal, and she made it through three rounds before concluding that she had managed to get everything out of herself. Exhausted due to lack of food and the fact she had just emptied her stomach of everything she had eaten, Perrine collapsed backwards against the stall door. Numbly she reached forward and flushed, but then slumped back to her position.

Once she had recovered, Perrine dragged herself to her feet so she could clumsily open the stall and stumble out. She reached into her pocket and fumbled around for her glasses, then placed them crookedly back on her face. The Gallian with blinked a couple of times to allow her eyes to adjust, and to see clearly again, while continuing her walk to the sinks. Perrine proceeded to rinse her burning mouth with fresh water. It didn't help much, but at least it cooled her acid burns a little. 

There was a creak. Perrine snapped her head up in horror as Shirley pushed her stall door open and stared softly across at Perrine.   
"Perrine..." Shirley was almost speechless. She had been occasionally shadowing Perrine the last few day, because the blonde was acting strange. But she didn't expect anything like this. Shirley's ginger eyebrows raised in sorrow as she stepped towards the blonde. Perrine flinched and backed off. 

"You need help... Come with me..." Shirley tried to connect her eyes with Perrine, but the blonde was not having any of it.  
"What? You're going to rat me out now? Get me in trouble?" Perrine growled. She took an offensive step towards Shirley. The busty teen's gaze turned dark.  
"I'm not ratting you out. I want to help."   
"Thats a joke, you ignorant Liberion... Who on earth would want to help me? The stuck up Gallian Heiress?" Perrine hissed. Shirley sighed.  
"Stop it. Stop trying to make yourself seem big and brave, and just let me help you."   
"No."  
"Fine then..." Shirley roughly grabbed Perrine's wrist. "I'm forcing you."   
Perrine was weak. In her weakened and hungry state, she had nothing on Shirley. The strong witch dragged Perrine from the restroom, and down the corridor. Perrine resisted Shirley the whole time. Although she didn't want to cause a scene and make a noise, Perrine was almost shouting as Shirley pulled her along.

The noise of Perrine's frustration alerted a certain Fusoan solider who had been standing guard outside her bedroom, while inside her pretty pregnant girlfriend was sleeping. Mio dashed round the corner and was confronted by a thrashing Perrine being restrained by an angry looking ginger.

"Major! She's been-!" Shirley was cut off; an elbow had found its way to her stomach. She gave a cough before starting her sentence for the second time. "She's been harming herself! She's been throwing up her food!" Shirley shouted. Perrine was sure the whole base had heard her getting grassed on. Mio was shocked.

"What?!? Perrine? What's going on?" Mio questioned, staring up and down the pair.  
"Nothing Major! This dumbass is being stupid!" Perrine shoved Shirley and tried to straighten herself up. Shirley growled.  
"Major! She's been throwing up her food! Look how underweight she is!" Shirley jabbed a slim finger in Perrine's side, which she could feel clearly for the lack of meat under her skin didn't protect her in any way.   
"Ow! Stop poking me!" Perrine hissed. Mio watched Perrine through narrowed eyes.  
"Perrine take your jacket off..." The Major ordered. Perrine was bewildered.  
"W-what...?"  
"Are you questioning my judgement?" Mio raised an eyebrow.   
"N-no... Ma'am..." Perrine fumbled to unbutton her golden buttons. With trembling hands she dropped her blue jacket onto the floor.  
"Now your shirt."   
"B-but Major-!"  
"Perrine. Now." Mio stared as Perrine removed her shirt. Underneath her shirt was the body of a malnourished and immensely underweight girl. Mio could count every single rib of Perrine's cage.   
"Show me your hands." Mio ordered after close examination of Perrine's body. Slowly, the Gallian raised her hands for Mio to see. The Fusoan frowned deeply. She had seen those kind of marks before.  
"Perrine, infirmary now. Shirley go with her. I will wake Minna. She needs to know about this immediately."


	17. Chapter 17

"There's something I've been needing to tell you all." Minna's soft voice broke the silence of the meeting room, her gaze staring bitterly downwards.   
"And I was afraid. Not the kind of afraid that you would normally find, when I fight, but this afraid was different. It chilled me to the bone. I wanted us, as a team, to last forever. And today, something was brought to my attention; it made me realise. As depressing as it is, there's nothing I can do now. We have a limited time together, only nine weeks. I want to make it last."

As the redhead finished, she could feel her heart beating fast and her breath catching in the throat. The faces of the girls around her were not what she wanted to see. Minna was hoping that this speech would help them to forgive her, for hiding this vital information from them. 

For a long time nobody moved. Nobody said a thing. Mio thought that Minna would break down in the tears that she was attempting to hold back. However, the pregnant woman held back her emotions for a short while longer.

Hesitantly, a single member of the wing stood up. She was nervous about what she was about to do, but slowly she began to clap. Members around her tilted their heads in slight confusion, but as her determined claps went on, slowly they began to rise and join her. 

Leading the clapping, Gertrud stood tall, and let out a confident smile towards Minna.

Minna was shocked. She hadn't expected this reaction. She expected angry shouts, curse words and much worse. But no. They were actually applauding her. For... Lying? Telling the truth? Minna wasn't sure, but what mattered at the current moment in time was trying not to let her subordinates see the tears glistening in her eyes.

After a while, the round of applause died down and the members of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing retook their seats. Minna tried to continue their speech.   
"There's a member of our wing not in this meeting... And I take full responsibility for the reason she is not." A few witches cast their gaze over to the empty seat, where Perrine usually sat. "It's my fault, for failing to notice the harm she was causing to herself, but I promise I will be a much better leader for you all, and I want you to feel that you can come and talk to me about anything." Minna smiled a slight bit, hoping to encourage the witches.

"I'm sorry for shutting you in the dark, but I'll explain what the papers are and why this has happened... Please bear with me..." Minna said nervously. She opened the transfer file to the first page and took a deep breath.

"Because I have to take maternity leave at 25 weeks, I am unable and forbidden to command the wing. Normally in a situation like this, the second highest ranking witch would take over my position."

Mio looked slightly downwards in disappointment. If only she wasn't almost 20...

"But Major Sakamoto is nearing retirement age, and for her safety, she will leave with me as her magical power is not strong enough to remain on the front line."

Said witch gritted her teeth and growled softly, loud enough for only Minna to hear, but was promptly ignored.

"So, to try and keep the wing together, Mio and myself put forward Captain Barkhorn," Minna nodded at Trude glumly, "for a promotion. That promotion was denied for the pure reason that this wing was not to survive. It was already decided that we would be disbanded, and there was nothing we could do about it. I'm sorry." 

Minna could feel tears brimming her eyes, but she forced herself to continue.

"I regret to inform you that you will all be split up. I have no influence on where you are going, or what you may do, so please don't hate me... But I'll read out your new locations..." A single tear slipped from Minna's eye, and slid down her cheek.

"Erica Hartmann; Returning to serve at St Trond's Base. You will be transferred from here immediately, with no leave."

A lot of what Minna was saying, the witches already knew. But to Sanya and Eila, all of it was news.

"Gertrud Barkhorn; Loaned overseas to Fuso, two weeks leave before departure. Miyafuji Yoshika; also returning to Fuso, two weeks leave before departure." 

Normally Trude would be happy about something like this, but ever since the other night her brain had felt numb.

"Francesca Lucchini; Transferring to the currently out-of-action 504th Joint Fighter Wing, three months leave before returning to the front lines. Charlotte Yeager; Unknown."

Shirley snorts.

"Why does it say Unknown? Surely I'm going somewhere?" The busty ginger would have continued if Mio had not silenced her with an icy glare. 

"Lynette Bishop, you will be retuning to your homeland and serving with Her Majesties Witches- a real honour. Perrine Clostermann. Becoming commanding officer of the 506th JFW,"   
Although she wasn't in the room, Minna felt pressured to read Perrine's name out, however she knew the next two would be hard to get out. She gulped and hesitated. Mio shot Minna a knowing look, and a reassuring nod.

"Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen.... 502nd.... Sanya Litvyak... T-the... The 507th...."

There was a long and silent pause.

"What." Eila's threateningly calm voice split the silence. Her voice was level, but her eyes were burning with a fiery anger located in the depths of her eyes.   
"What the fuck did you say?" She repeated calmly. Minna remained frozen on spot. 

That was it. Eila snapped. She lunged forward towards Minna with the aggression of a raged dog. She was almost foaming at the mouth. Mio shot in front of the ravaging girl and held her scabbard in front, to protect her girlfriend. With one swift move Mio struck Eila with her sheathed sword. The girl let out a groan of agony. In the background, Sanya was screaming at Eila, both Karlslandian soldiers had risen and making their way towards Minna to also protect her. 

The blow Mio gave Eila wasn't hard, not nearly enough to stop her. The blonde launched herself straight back up off the floor as soon as she hit it, and continued the charge towards Mio and Minna. This time, when Mio swung, Eila dodged underneath it skilfully, but her face connected with Trudes waiting boot. There was a large crack and blood gushed from her nose. Even this didn't stop Eila, she still continued to try and get around the witches to Minna. 

Something tugged gently on Eila's belt. Eila was frozen. She slowly turned round. Sanya was staring her straight in the eyes. Sanya's emerald eyes glinted with disgust. Eila came back to her senses. Everything moved in slow motion. Sanya suddenly brought her hand up, then it lowered itself down harshly across Eila's face.

"Eila! You idiot!" 

They were the final words that Eila heard before multiple members of the wing launched themselves into Eila in an attempt to pin her down. Eila could feel the hands pushed down on her thighs, someone straddling her waist. But the last thing she felt was someone slamming her head into the harsh floor. 

[LINEBREAK]

The door of the infirmary slid open quietly, and an authoritative figure stepped in. Perrine glanced up tearfully from her bed. She was curled up in a tight ball and crying softly to herself. The major tenderly walked across to the bed and softly patted Perrine's shoulder. Perrine jerked herself away from the Major. Mio let out a sigh.  
"I'm sorry Perrine... I know how you think of me... And I'm sorry that I can't be what you want me to..." Mio spoke softly and reassuringly, "but I'm not sorry that I love Minna. I'm not sorry for what I did to her. I love her!" Mio's eyes burned ferociously. "And even though I love Minna, I want to help you; as a friend. You're suffering and need help. So please let me in..."   
Mio gently lowered herself into the bed and tried to reach out for Perrine again. This time her touch was averted, and shockingly Perrine sat up and launched herself into Mio's arms. Bewildered, Mio sat back while Perrine hugged viciously. 

"I know..." Perrine whispered into the crook of Mio's neck. "But I can't help it..."

For a long time the two sat together in almost silence. The only sound being Perrine's broken sobs. Mio awkwardly rubbed her back throughout the entire ordeal. After a while the blondes sobs died down, and Mio pushed her away a little.  
"Major... I'm sorry... I'm sorry I feel this way about you.... I'm awful... I just-"  
Mio placed a finger on Perrine's lips.  
"Don't. Just calm down okay?" Mio smiled. The Fusoan then slowly reached into her pocket and drew out a small chocolate bar, which she proceeded to open.   
"This is for you." Mio held the chocolate out towards Perrine. The blonde flinched away from it, and stared as if it would bite her. The Gallian then shook her head.  
"I-I... I can't... " she muttered miserably. Mio shook her head again with a sigh,  
"Of course you can." Mio thrust it closer. This action just caused Perrine to shuffle as far back as she could. This was gong to more difficult than Mio had imagined.

 

[LINEBREAK]

"Minna! I insist you wait out here! She's dangerous!" Gertrud hissed frostily. The brunette was stood blocking Minna's path to enter a locked and bolted room.  
"No Trude. Step aside." Minna ordered, looking harshly at her subordinate. Gertrud remained firmly in stance.   
"Trude." Minna voice seemed to crack a little. "I'm warning you, now step aside. You can come in with me, but I'm still going in no matter what you say or do."   
Barkhorn growled loudly.  
"Don't you dare!" Minna snarled. Reluctantly, Gertrud slid to the side, muttering under her breath.  
"The Major won't like this..." Barkhorn mumbled.  
"I don't care. I'm the commander here; not you, not Mio, not anyone. Me." Minna stepped forward and began to unbolt the door. Gertrud was stood at Minna's heels, ready to get into action at any given time. Erica followed with Sanya slightly behind the first two.  
"Erica, Sanya, both of you wait out here... I don't want you inside..."  
Both of the two smaller girls opened their mouths to protest, but shut them quickly as they saw the serious look on their commander's face. They stepped to the side, out of the view range for Eila inside the room.

As the door was swung open, Sanya glanced frantically in, in hope of having a glance at her crazed girlfriend, but Erica pulled her further to the side and told her to keep out of sight.

The room was grim and dark, Eila's silhouette on the bed only just visible. Minna approached cautiously but remained at a safe distance. Eila's hands were cuffed together, and chained to the bed. She had been stripped of her uniform and instead was left in her tight white pants and a vest. The room did not house much. Just a simple bed, basin and toilet. The window was barred and little light got through the clouded glass.

"Officer Juutilainen." Minna's sharp voice cut through the quiet aura of the room. There was no response. Eila didn't even move from the bed. Her eyes seemed to be open and unblinking, just staring up at the ceiling. Blood had dried across her face, and even dripped down her neck and collar bone. Minna spoke up again while Trude approached Eila.

"Officer Juutilainen!" Minna said a little louder. When the dusty blonde still did not react, Trude grabbed her roughly and dragged her from the bed. Eila was forced into a weak kneeling position in front of Minna. The blonde wasn't reacting to anything, it seemed. Gertrud put her foot heavily on the Suomus witches back to keep her kneeling nice and low.  
"You are extremely lucky that your punishment is so tame, especially since you have previous offences. You will be serving 30 days solitary confinement in this room. You will not be permitted to leave under any circumstances, excluding medical emergency. You will not receive any pay for those 30 days and when the time is up you will be shifted back onto minimum pay. I hope this is clear. " 

Minna did not know whether Eila had found her instructions clear or not, but she didn't wait around to find out, and instead turned tail. Gertrud moved her foot off Eila and stalked out after Minna. 

Erica hurriedly followed Minna down the corridor, but the redhead was ignoring everyone. Erica was speaking in a hushed and urgent voice, which still did not earn a reaction. Sanya watched them go with teary eyes. Gertrud bolted the door again, then gave Sanya a long hard state.  
"If you know what's good for you..." The brunette murmured, "You will stay away from that girl... She's bad for you." 

With those words, Barkhorn marched after Minna.

"Eila..." Sanya whimpered under her breath. Slowly, she lowered herself down by the door. "You idiot..."

[LINEBREAK] 

[TWO WEEKS LATER]

"Do what do you think? Do you like it?" Mio asked eagerly. Hope sparkled in her eyes as she and Minna walked slowly down the paved path of Oakdene Cottage. The cottage had white walls and a lovely thatched roof. Up the walls ivy grew, and a large tree was present in the grassy don't garden. It seemed like a fairy tale cottage, with a desolate location like it was. Although, if you took a car, the nearest village was not too far. And you could even walk if you were up to it. 

Minna was walking slow, her joints were aching and her stomach was causing a lot of pressure inside her. Yet despite being in discomfort, she gave her girlfriend a warm smile.  
"Yes... It's very cosy... And I think the second bedroom will be nice for our child..." Minna patted her bump fondly. Mio nodded. The black haired witch looked relieved that her partner approved of her home idea for the soon to be trio.  
"And the fact it's all on one floor will be good too... No stairs to worry about..."   
"Yeah..." Mio nodded. "It would be especially bad if you fell down some..."  
"That's another thing I'll have to restrict..." Mio thought to herself. "I don't want her climbing the steep stairs on base..."

"Mio... Please can I have a hand..." Minna wheezed.   
"Of course!" Mio smiled and dropped back to give Minna a hand. The black haired girl wrapped her arms around her girlfriends waist and took her hand reassuringly as they made their way down the path. 

Minna's physical state had changed a lot in the last few weeks. Although she thought her morning sickness had gone, Minna was still plagued by an almost constant feeling of nausea, fatigue and dizziness. The couple had asked Yoshika about these symptoms, but the young doctor was unsure. Georgette Lemare had been contacted, but she was unavailable to come out until the next week. 

"Lean on the truck a second." Mio ordered, and released Minna. The redhead heavily leant back against the the back of the truck. This truck, was the same truck that Gertrud had ripped the radio out of and the one that they had traveled to town in. But luckily, the couple were prepared and had brought a large portable radio. 

Mio walked to the door of the green truck and opened it as wide as it would go. She then retrieved her girlfriend. Mio held the door and Minna's hand as the redhead entered the vehicle. She sat down heavily on the leather seats; Mio shut the door and made her way to the drivers seat.

The journey home was quiet. Minna wasn't feeling good and Mio could tell, so she didn't push to try and make conversation. Minna had cold sweats and shaking pretty badly. Her eyes slowly drooped closed and her head lolled forward slightly. Mio drove a little more carefully than she normally would because of this; she didn't want to damage Minna if the need came for her to slam on the breaks.


	18. Chapter 18

"Eila... Eila...?" Sanya called softly under the strong oak wood door that separated herself and her lover. No response. Normal then. And small girl sat back against the wall with her green eyes brimming with tears. It's had been fourteen days since she had last seen her lover. It has been a heart wrenching fourteen days, and there were still another fourteen to go. Sanya wasn't supposed to be around the solitary room without permission from Minna; something she didn't currently have. But it was late afternoon, Minna and Mio were out, Miyafuji, Lynne, Erica and Perrine were playing cards in the common room and Gertrud was reading a book. Shirley and Lucchini were most likely messing around in the hangar, like usual. So it was the perfect time to slip away.

Not many people noticed when Sanya was around anyway. She was so quiet that very few people could immediately notice when she was there and when she wasn't. 

She had ran as fast as she could to Eila's room. When Sanya had gotten there she was so out of breath she had to wait a few moments before she could call Eila's name. But she never got an answer. These occasions where Sanya had been able to sneak away and sit outside Eila's door were few and far between, yet her lover had not said a word to her. It made Sanya feel like giving up on Eila, but her heart told her that she must keep going. Of course there would be hardships like this but they must pull through together. There was no other way.

Sometimes at night, Sanya had heard Eila howling for her. It seemed that nighttime was the only time Eila seemed to wanted to interact. Eila's desperate cries for company could not be comforted. At least not by Sanya's loving embrace. Each time Sanya had heard Eila wail like a ghost with regrets during the night, she had gone down and tried to seek her lover. And each time she went down, there would always be someone waiting for her, usually Mio. The black haired Fusoan would give Sanya a gentle smile, and maybe a few comforting words, but every single time Sanya would get sent back to bed, without seeing Eila.

Sanya sighed and brushed the thoughts of previous encounters with the door out of her mind. She had been so focused in her mind that she had lost track of her surroundings. A set of footsteps had approached without her realising, and it was too late to hide or run. 

[LINEBREAK]

"Minna... Minna wake up..." Mio gently whispered into her girlfriends ear. The girl beneath her stirred, and her eyelids flickered. "Come on... We're here now..." A smile lit up Mio's face as Minna'e eyes slowly opened.  
"M-Mio...?" The redhead blinked slowly. Mio leaned in a kissed her forehead gently.  
"We're home."  
Minna lifted her hands to rub her eyes a little, to clear the sleep away. She then blinked to allow her eyes to get used to the light. 

"I'll come and help you out... Just take your belt off..." Mio murmured and reached to open her own door. The light inside the truck blinked on. It then faded as Mio slammed her door. Cool air on Mio's legs was different to the musty heat inside of the truck and gravel crunched coolly under Mio's white shoes. Minna reached downwards slowly and unbuckled herself. 

Lethargically, Minna rolled her head around to watch Mio approach her side of the truck. A warm afternoon breeze hit Minna's face when her door was opened causing her to blink in surprise. Mio smiled up at her brightly.  
"Come on... Let's get you out..."  
Mio held her hand firmly in place while Minna manoeuvred herself into a suitable position to step down. 

After some fumbling, Minna got a somewhat stable position and managed to step down. Although she almost fell when she misplaced her foot and slipped forward. Luckily, the ever-ready Mio was on scene to handle the situation. 

"Can you walk okay Minna? I can shout for a wheelchair if you don't feel well enough..." Mio murmured gently into Minna's ear once the two were safely on the ground. To steady Minna, Mio had once again resumed her hands position round the slim waist of her girlfriend. Minna shook her head in response the Mio's question.  
"No, I'm fine." 

Mio sighed. Minna really needed to stop putting on a strong front. 

The two continued their slow and stead journey down the path. 

"Minna!" The voice of the highest scoring flying ace hit Minna's ears. The redhead leaned off of Mio as much as she dared and tried to stand up straight; she had to be at least a little presentable. Mio tilted her head slightly in confusion. They were only gone for a few hours, surely nothing drastic should have happened in that time.

But she was wrong.

"Erica? What's the matter?" Mio questioned. The blonde came to a halt and bent herself over due to loss of breath.  
"M-minnah..." Erica seemed to have ran pretty fast... Her pronunciation was all over the place because of her breath loss. "Youh... Youh need toh... Cohme... Airh Marhshul..." 

"Air Marshal?" Mio asked sharply. Erica nodded. "What's she doing here?"   
The younger officer shrugged and shook her head.   
"Erica stay here with Minna, I'm going ahead. Take it easy." Mio broke away from Minna and sped up into a fast jog.  
"Hey! Mio!" Minna shouted. But the strong willed solider simply ignored her and ran on ahead. Minna sighed in annoyance. 

[LINEBREAK]

Adolfine Galland screwed up her nose and she looked down at the pitiful, quivering girl beneath her. The blonde could not seem to meet Galland's eyes and instead focused on something in the distance. Her eyes were dull and reflected a gaping emptiness within her. There didn't appear to be any physical injuries to the solider, but there was clearly a mental factor involved.  
"Take her out of here." She ordered a smaller silver haired girl, Sanya.The girl immediately proceeded to carry out the order, and tried to lead Eila away.  
Galland turned her gaze around to look at Gertrud, who stood to attention a couple of steps away.   
"How long has she been on house arrest?"   
Gertrud swallowed.  
"Fifteen days, Ma'am."   
"Do you have any idea why she was placed under house arrest?" Galland's sharp eyes gazed deeply into Gertrud, but without faltering, the Karlslandian solider answered the question.  
"Extremely violent and aggressive behaviour towards a superior witch."

Galland raised her hand thoughtfully to her lips and brooded for a moment.   
"Who was in charge of reporting the incident to a Higher Up?"

Before Gertrud could answer, Mio jogged into the room. The Fusoan was slightly short of breath but otherwise in tip top condition. Galland moved her gaze from Trude to the Major and smiled.  
"Ah! Major Sakamoto! Just the witch I wanted to see..." Galland approached and held her hand out towards Mio in a friendly, but authoritative, manner. Mio took the hand. Only to be polite, for she remained cautious of the unpredictable Air Marshal. 

After their brief handshake, Mio immediately jumped straight into the heart of the matter. With an even tone, she said to her superior,  
"Might I ask what you are doing here?"

Galland in return gave her a cheery smile.   
"I was here to ensure you had told your subordinates of the transfer, inform you of a change in those documents and to have a private meeting with Commander Wilcke. But, I've had a change of heart. I also want to find out details about the punishment of Flight Officer Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen." 

Mio gulped slightly. She felt a little sweaty in the heated aura of the room, and longed to be free of the dreadful feeling as soon as possible. But she knew things wouldn't work like that.

"How about it then Major? You, me, Commander Wilcke? Let's have a talk." Galland motioned to the seats in the common room. 

"Minna isn't here yet. She might be a while." Mio just hoped her voice sounded clear enough.

"That's fine. We can wait." Galland sat herself down and stretched in the seat.

[LINEBREAK] 

Sanya expected Eila to remain a broken, lost soul while bathing together, like how she appeared in front of the Air Marshal. Much to the surprise of the small Orussian witch, Eila seemed completely normal and relaxed as they washed themselves; the dirty blonde even struck up unprompted conversation.

After a brief scrub under the showers, the two witches led themselves to the large open bath and settled themselves down for a long soak. It was at that point their friendly conversations died off and instead they sat in silence.

This Eila was much unlike the one she had seen and heard recently, Sanya thought. All she had heard off Eila in two weeks, was a frightened and bewildered nightly howl. It was rather confusing and difficult to take in all at once, but small puzzle pieces were coming together in Sanya's mind. She took a little glance to her right, where Eila was sat. The blonde seemed lost as she gazed up at the high ceiling. 

Gently Sanya reached out a hand under the water, and placed it atop of Eila's. Turning her head, Eila met Sanya's gaze and held it for a long second, before looking away. But Sanya was determined to reconnect the moment.

"I've missed you Eila..." She whispered softly while tightening her grip on her lover's hand. Eila froze up for a moment, but then gave in to the powerful wave of emotion. Wrapping her matchstick arms around Sanya, Eila buried her head in the crook of Sanya's neck and sobbed softly. 

Sanya paused. Eila was crying? Why? Eila never cried... Surely her experience in the room wasn't so bad she had to burst into tears...?

But none of that mattered; right now Eila needed her, so Sanya set about trying to be the most reassuring and caring girlfriend she could possibly be. Sanya carefully embraced her slim, yet muscular lover and ran her fingertips along Eila's spine. This action resulted in Eila's shuddering lightly underneath her.

Sanya smiled gently and cradled Eila as she cried in her arms.

"We'll get through this, don't worry."

Slowly, with rough and clumsily movements, Eila looked up. Her large purple eyes glistened in the bright light of the bath. Sanya held her soft, needy stare.  
"Will we? I messed up Sanya... I just... I just... Wanted to be with you..." Eila dipped her head back into Sanya's smooth shoulder to hide her tear stained face.

"S-Sanya... I love you..." The Suomi wept.  
Sanya continued to gently massage Eila's back.  
"Of course we will be okay Eila. I'm here to protect you, and Commander Minna won't let anything bad happen to you..." 

After minutes of staying in this position, the two girls finished up and retreated to the changing rooms. Prioritising Eila first, Sanya moved about the changing room and collected the clean set of clothes she had prepared. Eila just simply sat frozen on the bench.

"Eila? Would you like some help?" Sanya smiled softly. The dirty blonde nodded.

"Okay... I'll just towel you down properly first..."   
Sanya gently pulled the cloth from around Eila and rubbed it in circular motions as her girlfriend remained as still as a statue throughout the entire procedure. Once Sanya was satisfied at the level of moisture on Eila's skin, she pulled out a pair of Eilas light blue pants, and knelt down on the floor.

"Eila... Lift your leg please..." Sanya slip the panties over Eila's foot; she then requested for Eila to lift the other foot. Her girlfriend was happy to oblige. Once the blue material was over both feet, Sanya pulled them up with a small, but slightly nervous smile. Eila didn't seem to mind and gave Sanya a warm pat on the head. 

Someone content with Eila's level of repose, Sanya continued to piece together a suitable and appropriate outfit for Eila to wear. Well, not really to wear... For Sanya was sending Eila straight to bed. She had outfitted her girlfriend in a cute, long blue nightgown that ended just over Eila's knee. It fitted Eila perfectly. Well, of course it should've done, because Eila bought it herself, but after getting home she realised that is wasn't really her style and banished it to the bottom of their shared wardrobe. However, Sanya found the gown much more flattering to Eila's figure than Eila did, and she thought that it had suited her well, hence why she decided to rescue it. It did seem suitable for Eila. It was long enough to modesty cover Eila's legs, yet allowed her a lot of freedom to move. 

Eila didn't seem to approve too much of Sanya's clothing choices. Sanya could see it written all over Eila's face, but thankfully the dirty blonde didn't complain and once the gown had been straightened out completely the smaller girl stood up to whipper in her lover's ear. 

"You look adorable in that Eila..." Chuckled Sanya.

Blushing slightly, Eila looked away and sat down on a bench. 

Letting her mind drift away, now that her Eila was dressed and washed, Sanya began to ready herself . Sanya pondered deeply I thought, but was hit by a vivid flashback of a conversation she had mistakenly overheard on night after hiding from Gertrud's routine visit to Eila's imprisonment room. Minna had also been with Gertrud on this evening, and upon leaving the room, the two had engaged in a brief and private conversation, unknowing of Sanya's presence.

"Minna... I told you... She's dangerous... She's lost all sense of who she is..."

Minna remained quiet.

"You can't keep this quiet for long. Out of respect for you, Minna, I'm not going to say anything. You're pregnant, and it would be nice for you to leave honourably after the impressive service you have given to the country. But Juutilainen is ill. Mentally ill, and in the frame of mind that we just saw her there's no way she can go back to being a witch. It's impossible."

"Don't be stupid Trude. I know what's going on and it's no need to concern-"

"Minna! Just listen to me for a minute!"

Sanya can remember clenching her fist in the dark shadows, and suppressing a growl. Eila couldn't be mentally ill... There was just no way that the sweet and caring girl Sanya had always known was mentally unstable... It was impossible...

Sanya shook it off heavily with a sigh.

"Are we going back to the Air Marshal?" Eila asked. Sanya couldn't quite read Eila's emotions which made her uneasy about giving her answer.  
"No. I want you to come back for a rest with me."  
Keeping herself guarded, Eila nodded and settled on the bench.

As soon as Sanya was dressed, the two made their way out of the changing area and towards their bedroom, holding hands as they walked.


	19. Chapter 19

"So you say she displayed anti-social behaviour towards you?" Galland asked thoughtfully, before sipping her cooling coffee.  
Minna nodded in confirmation. Mio did so too. Galland distractedly placed her hand on her chin, then drummed the fingers of her other on the solid oak coffee table. Minna shivered slightly in the presence of the powerful Air Marshal, and jumped slightly when she began to talk once again.  
"But why didn't you tell Head Office? This is an important matter and the fact she has multiple records of misbehaviour makes this all the more serious." Galland watched Minna's face change into a slight frown and the redhead nibbled her bottom lip.  
"B-because... " Minna struggled to find her next words and ended up trailing off into silence. Mio picked up from were she left off.  
"We thought it was very unlike her... We thought it could've been the stress of her pre-, I mean, sick girlfriend.... But this behaviour is reckless and wild..." Minna shot Mio a hard stare as the black haired witch had almost given the young couple's secret away.  
Galland remained silent for a few seconds.   
"Can I speak with her girlfriend?" Galland asked. Although it was a question, it was more of an order. She was Adolfine Galland;she got what she wanted, no questions asked. Mio stood.  
"Of course. I will fetch her." With that, she walked towards the door, giving Minna one last longing glance and then leaving the room.   
With Mio gone, Galland rounded on Minna. The redhead shuffled uncomfortably under the powerful witches' stare.   
"Commander Minna, I believe it would be in your best interests to step down before planned." Galland said softly, the ice in her eyes did not match the tone of voice she spoke in.  
Minna looked down in defeat.   
"I know... I just can't bring myself to it... With everything happening at once... All of this, Eila, Perrine..." Minna sighed heavily. "Running a wing is hard... And I can't think straight anymore..."

Galland nodded in understanding.   
"Of course we will still pay you for up to the the 25 weeks, plus your three month maternity pay. Major Sakamoto will be receiving her lump sum for retirement, although I'm sure she already knows this, but the Fuso Imperial Navy would like to offer her a new role within their ranks." 

Minna shook her head.  
"She didn't tell me."  
"I didn't think she would." Galland said dryly. "But it's her choice to make, and her involvement within her country's army has always been her passion. You won't be able to lock her up at home forever." 

Minna looked downwards towards her brown leather shoes; she knew the Air Marshal was right. Mio had always been a free bird, soaring higher than anyone could ever have imagined. Minna wouldn't take that away from her. Minna couldn't. 

"But at least you know you'll be set for the future..." Galland said. 

Of course the two would be set. Mio had enough savings to pay off their new cottage in a lump sum, with plenty left over. Minna, too, had a lot of savings. Minna's weren't just her own, lots had come as compensation from her boyfriends death. So, in a sense, the couple were very prepared for the future. 

With nothing else in particular to say, Galland leant back in her chair and respected the silence that had fallen across the room. Of course the silence didn't last long, Mio was very productive and soon arrived back with the silver haired Sanya. 

"Air Marshal, this is Sanya." Mio greeted the Air Marshal. Galland nodded and then swept her glance across to Minna.   
"How about you both leave us, so myself and Sanya here can talk freely."  
Minna gritted her teeth. She didn't like to be ordered around on her own base. But she reluctantly agreed.  
"Of course."   
Mio strode confidently over to Minna and offered her a hand up with a smile.  
Minna accepted Mio's help and pulled herself up slowly. Once Minna had found her feet, the couple clasped hands and walked back towards the door.  
"I'll see you two later," Galland smiled, while seating Sanya closely next to her.   
Mio dipped her head in respect and she and her girlfriend left the room. 

Outside, Gertrud had been waiting impatiently for Minna. She hadn't cracked under Galland's intense, yet brief, questioning earlier. Gertrud hadn't sold Minna out, and she wanted the redhead to know that. 

When the door opened for the first time, she had been immediately surprised to see Mio exit alone, and almost questioned her superior. But after remembering her place, she didn't. Although the black haired witch gave her an uncertain glance, not a single word was exchanged between the two of them. 

Gertrud had been confused further when the major had returned with Sanya, and not Eila. 

But finally at last Gertrud's conscience was settled when her commander left the room.

"Minna!" Trude exclaimed with an emotion that almost resembled excitement. Minna's response didn't quite have the energy Gertrud was expecting, but it was something.

"I didn't tell her Minna! I promise! I didn't want to let you down! I though-"

Minna waved her hand in a dismissive manner.   
"Trude, it's okay... I know." Minna gave a weak smile and Mio continued to usher her away. Gertrud went to follow them but a strong hand pulled her shoulder. She spun round and almost shouted in surprise.  
Erica placed a light finger on Trude's lips in a request for her to keep quiet. Gertrud opened her mouth...

And then closed it again. 

The brunette was unsure of her options. She really didn't want to be alone with Erica, and that was something she had managed to avoid ever since her heat, but it was getting harder and harder. And it appeared that Erica had finally caught her. 

The blonde pulled her comrade to the side and made an attempt to drag her down a lone corridor. On a normal day, dragging Trude would've been completely out of the question, but it seemed today that she had had a change of heart; for she didn't protest. 

Perhaps she was fed up of running from her problems. 

The blonde managed to shove Gertrud into the nearest broom cupboard and crammed herself in afterwards. 

Gertrud was immediately uncomfortable. This wasn't something she bargained for at all. She knew she had been wrong when she had given into her desires two weeks ago, and it had chilled her to the bone.

"Erica!" She whispered in a tome that she hoped sounded threatening. "Let me go!"

After a moment, the blonde didn't say anything, and the darkness seemed all the more unfamiliar and unfriendly.  
"I-I didn't mean what I tried to do two weeks ago! It was my-" 

Gertrud was cut off promptly as she found herself locked into a kiss she couldn't escape from. Her eyes widened further in the dark room, full of surprise and shock at the sudden change of direction of the room's energy flow. The brunette was extremely tense through the whole affair; her fingers flexing rapidly, squeezing her eyes shut as tight as they would go and of course her should her shrugged right up. 

Even after the kiss split, Gertrud was tense and tight in her movements, and now panting.  
"What..." She breathed heavily, "was that?!"   
Still with no answer, Gertrud tried to leave. The aura in the stuffy room wasn't to her liking at all.   
But this time, Erica pulled her back, not with her hands, but with her words. 

"Trude... It's okay... I forgive you... And I love you..." Erica's face supported a strong blush that wasn't visible in the dark room. Both girls went silent. 

For a long minute neither of them said anything. 

But they didn't need to.

Somehow in the darkness of the small room, Erica reached out and found the rough, war worked hands that belonged to her potential mate. And they accepted her.   
Erica was pulled into a tight, almost suffocating, embrace. But she didn't care, the joy she felt in her heart far overwhelmed the slim chance of suffocation she was facing.   
When they broke in embarrassment after a few moments, they clasped their hands together in a new found love for each other. 

"But not here Erica... Not now... It's a bad time..." Trude muttered under her breath, not really enforcing the policy.  
"Now is always a good time! What are you talking about?" Erica hungrily pawed at Trude's jacket while the brunette beneath her weakly resisted. The blonde leaned upwards and latched onto Trude's pale neck, which caused the older girl to immediately tense up.   
Erica moved back.  
"No Trude. You have to relax. It'll hurt more..."  
"Hurt?!"   
Gertrud didn't have time to further react, for her smaller girlfriend had found her way back onto her neck and was biting and sucking the living daylights out of it. Of course she tensed up again, but this time Erica was less caring and continued to leave her mark on her lover. 

Once Erica had completed all the nibbling on her lover, she stepped back to admire her work; a large bite, one that would surely be visible for a day or two.

Tenderly, Gertrud reached up to feel the bruise. Her face was burning red and the two of them could feel it. Trude's fingers gently brushed over the spot where Erica had devoured her skin. A large sensitive patch had skin had risen slightly.

"Erica! What were you thinking?!" Gertrud screech-whispered while the blonde chuckled softly. 

"You can give me one!" The blonde offered, pressing her body up close to Gertrud.

"Erica! This is hardly p-professional!" The nervous stutter was starting to kick in and Trude's emotions and feelings were scattered in every direction.

"Alrighty then Trude! I'll see you in the bedroom!" Erica let out a chuckle and the heavy door to the cupboard swung open. Dust was flung into the air, of which the sunshine shone through creating a beautiful illusion for Erica to stand in. The scene was very much appreciated by Trude, who broke her normally solid mask to smile gently at Erica's cheerful face. 

But the door just slammed in Trude's face while she took there, utterly bewildered at what just happened. Again, she reached to touch the sensitive spot on her neck.  
"Damn Erica...." The brunette whispered to herself, but a smile was slowly spread across her face.

"Bedroom it is then...."

[LINEBREAK]

"Minna...?" Mio gently touched Minna's arm, snapping her out of the day dream she had thrown herself into. Minna shook her head slightly and look up info Mio's large, concerned eyes.  
"Hmm?" Minna hummed in response.   
"You're quiet, are you feeling okay?" Mio shifted closer to Minna and placed a gentle hand on Minna's swollen stomach. Minna shuffled around a bit on the red couch, and found a comfortable position leaning on Mio. The familiarity of her own office was comforting to Minna. 

"I'm just a little worried that's all, Mio." Minna sighed and ran her fingers up and down her girlfriend's tanned leg. Mio let out a slight smile and Minna was suddenly surprised as a caring arm wrapped itself round her shoulders. 

"It's okay Minna... I'll be here no matter what..." Mio hurriedly closed the space between them and initiated a kiss. The kiss wasn't exactly what Minna had been wanting, but it helped her to relax a little and offered comfort. As their lips were joined, a small flame of joy and love continued to burn in Minna's chest. Mio tried to deepen the kiss by running her tongue along Minna's lips, then nibbling gently, but the redhead pulled away. Minna felt a tad guilty when Mio's large grey eye peered up at her, full of wonder and curiosity. 

"What's wrong?" Mio asked softly, as she ran her hand smoothly down Minna's cheek. The redhead looked away, her eyes downcast.

"I think... It would be best if we retired sooner than planned..." 

Mio tilted her head, all of this was very sudden.

"I know I only just said that I'll try my hardest to keep the wing together as long as possible... And I know you love to fly... But Mio... I'm scared..." The low tone Minna had in her voice had a large effect on Mio, and the Fusoan solider was hanging carefully onto every word her girlfriend said.

"But Minna... You still haven't resolved things with everyone..." Mio tried to make up an excuse. She didn't want to prematurely leave the front lines. She wanted to pursue her dream. 

"I know, I know... That's why I have to do so as soon as possible..."

"Minna you honestly can't be serious..." Mio joked, and laughed a little, trying to make light of the situation, although deep down, she was hoping that Minna was just joking. 

But of course she wasn't. 

"Mio, our child is inside of me. What if I fall? What if there is a neuroi attack on the base... W-what if..."  
"Minna you're thinking about this too much... Please just calm down a little and realise-"  
"No Mio! You need to realise that you are putting yourself in unnecessary danger... What if you got struck down? What would I do?"  
Mio moved away from Minna, detaching the redhead from her sleeve.   
A few angry tears escaped Minna's eyes. But Mio wasn't backing down.  
"Minna! Have some faith in me! I won't do anything reckless!"  
"You always do something reckless Mio! Why can't you understand that I love you; I want to protect you"

Mio didn't want to argue with Minna anymore and needed some cooling down time to think rationally. The black haired witch stood up to leave the room.  
"Wait! Mio! We aren't done talking!" Minna lunged at Mio to grab her sleeve desperately, but her girlfriend was already far out of her reach.  
"Minna we are done for now. I'm going to fetch Erica or Trude for you while I'm talking to Galland." Mio said as she approached the door.  
"Mio! Get back here!" Minna struggled into a sitting position, and then, completely out of breath, she pulled herself up. 

But Mio was already gone.  
"Damn her!" Minna cursed, and sat back down. Her energy had ebbed away entirely, and she couldn't even find the strength to let out a shout as her world disappeared before her eyes and she was dragged down in the depths of sleeping space. 

[LINEBREAK] 

Mio closed the door silently, her expression grim. She ignored Minna's only call, and sighed. She didn't want to have to do this, but to lose her dream hurt. It hurt a lot.   
The simple thought of losing her position on the front lines cruelly played with her heart, viciously wrapping itself around it like poison ivy and thorns.   
The blacked haired witch shook it off. She had a job to do.

First of all, she needed to find Karlslandian Witch who could care for Minna for a while; Trude or Erica would suffice.   
Speak of the devil, Erica was just coming towards her.

Erica of course, was on her way to her bedroom, where she had promised to meet Trude for some physical activities. She didn't expect to be stopped by the major to babysit Minna. 

"Oi! Hartmann!"   
Erica turned her head slowly and initiated eye contact with the major.  
"Minna is in her office. Go and sit with her. "  
Erica jaw dropped and she froze in her steps. When the blonde didn't answer, Mio shouted a little.  
"HARTMANN! Go and sit with Minna! Now!" The black haired witch turned and continued her speedy walk down the corridor, not even looking to see if the short solider had obeyed her.   
Erica dropped a sweat.  
"Sorry Trude..." She whispered to herself.

 

[LINEBREAK 

"Thank you, Officer Litvyak. This talk has been proved her informative. " Galland smiled down at the small silver haired witch who trembled beneath her.   
"You may go." 

Sanya stood up, a little wobbly, and walked across the room towards the door. To the surprise of both witches in the room, Mio was stood on the other side of the door. 

Although this had initially taken the great Air Marshal by surprise, she immediately adapted to the new situation and eyed Mio up and down.  
"Ah, Major Sakamoto, what brings you back here?" Galland asked.   
Sanya silently slipped past the Major .  
Mio made direct eye contact with Galland.  
"What did you say to Minna? Why are you forcing her to disband so early?"

Galland's eyes narrowed her her lips drew themselves into a thin line.  
"Major Sakamoto, I believe that was a private conversation between myself and Commander Minna; it's none of your business." Galland said simply.  
"Yes it is! Minna is my partner, I want to know what you did to upset her so much that she wants to disband the wing she fought so hard to keep here!" The fury in Mio's eyes was very visible and seething with annoyance.  
Galland sighed openly. She would tell Mio, but not because the Fusoan witch wanted to know. She would tell because she wanted her to know.   
"Sakamoto Mio, you want to know the motive behind my recommendation of the disbanding of your wing, correct?"  
Mio nodded, not entirely sure what this meant.   
"Well today is your lucky day."

**Author's Note:**

> Minna's pregnancy- Completely non-canon.  
> At certain times of the year, witches go through a period , called 'heat', and during this time they have high sex drives and produce a substance in their cervical liquid which can get another witch pregnant.


End file.
